


Bishop's Knife Trick

by uncertainAuthor



Category: Overwatch (Video Game), Supernatural
Genre: Abduction, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Hunters, Awkward Sexual Situations, Blood Drinking, Crossover, Father figure Reyes gets his heart ripped out and stomped on, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, M/M, Mild Language, Olivia Colomar is Sombra's real name if you didn't already know, Other, Past Character Death, Past Fatal Injuries, Suicide, The SPN AU Absolutely No One Asked For, Vampires, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-28 00:25:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15696438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uncertainAuthor/pseuds/uncertainAuthor
Summary: Torn apart from a bright future together, Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison find themselves on polar opposites in the same messed up world; one is the hunter, the other the hunted. When their polar ends collide in a cruel twist of fate, old feelings resurface, and, despite both having suffered far more tragedy than any soul should, they try to work out a new future together.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work is my first time participating in the R76 Big Bang! It was an absolute honor to get to work with the amazing TacticalBooty (tacticl-booty.tumblr.com for their amazing works!) for this, as well as the incredible experience of getting to chat with all the incredible people in the Discord server! It was a wonderful experience and an amazing inspiration to sit and write something I hope the R76 fandom likes! Tactical's beautiful art will be embedded into the chapter it goes with so there's no unwanted spoilers ♥

Gabriel couldn’t help but scowl as he thumbed through the files on the table in front of him. As of last week, the body count they’d been following had risen to three, all found “exsanguinated with their throats brutally ripped out in an assumed wild animal attack,” as the autopsy reports so eloquently stated. Three men would never see their homes again, would never feel the sun on their skin or the ground beneath their feet. “So, you sure that this was done by the same fang, Gabe? It could be a whole nest, you know.” Olivia frowned as she flipped through her own stack of papers, trim brows raising as she glanced over at Gabriel.

“We’ve been over this.” Gabriel slapped the file down on the table and slid it closer to the girl, tapping his finger over a blurry image of a blonde, hand in hand with the latest victim. The grainy security footage snapshot wasn’t the best, but there was no denying the identity of either of them. This woman _had_ to be what they were after; every victim had been last seen with the same woman, leaving the bar they’d met in for a night of mischief gone wrong. “She’s the one leading them out every time, and the attacks are too few and far between for it to be a whole nest. If we were looking at a whole nest, I’m pretty sure we’d have a lot more than just three bodies. I’m putting my money on her being a vamp that went solo, or one that split off from her nest. Should be easy to take care of.”

The girl huffed, rolling her eyes as she closed her own folder. “If it’s so easy, Gabe, why don’t you just take care of it yourself? I mean, it’s not like you had _any_ help so far, _especially_ not with getting the police reports, the autopsy rundowns, the security footage-”

“Okay, okay, I get it.” Gabriel offered a small grin, holding his hands up in a surrendering gesture that coaxed a laugh out of his hunting partner.

“You know what I mean, though.” Her smile softened, the barest hints of worry lingering in her eyes. “I don’t want another incident like what happened in Houston all because you think you can do this alone. Besides, someone has to be ready when all your careful planning doesn't pan out. Backup plans and loopholes are my thing, viejo.”

Gabriel sighed, giving a small shake of the head. “You don’t _have_ to work with me, you know. I’m sure you could find someone else to deal with your attitude.” The wry grin shared between the two said everything either of them wanted to say, but never would without risking their pride. They were practically family at this point, both having lost so much to the monsters that they hunted - Olivia having lost her family and Gabriel having lost more friends than he could count - and they’d keep hunting together until their line of work brought about their eventual end. That was just how things went when you had a hunting partner.

Olivia chuckled, shaking her head as she tossed the file onto the stack of so many others. “Oh shut it, Gabe, and pass me the laptop. We’ve got work to do.” Gabriel grinned, handing the laptop over to her, and the two settled down to work out a plan.

* * *

 “Damn, Reyes, you sure you can’t handle this one on your own? It sounds like a simple enough job from what you’ve told me so far.” The drawled voice on the other end of the phone sounded skeptical but amused through the rushing groan of what sounded like a truck stop in the background. Gabriel frowned, glancing briefly at the makeshift cocoon Olivia had buried herself in. The girl was fast asleep, the laptop still open on the table in front of her, lists upon lists of different bars and clubs in the area all pinned to a digital layout of the city.

She’d stayed at the motel while he did the groundwork, compiling and collecting and sorting through all the data that would’ve given Gabriel a headache to try and track. She backed him on every hunt, so he’d decided to take Olivia’s advice to heart and call in a favor, despite his own beliefs of it being a solo vampire.

“ _I_ didn’t want to call you in for this one, Jesse, but Olivia thinks we need more hands on this than just me. She’s worried that it’s a nest, not just a solo vamp.”

“Ah, I hear ya. Give me a couple days to finish up here, and I'll be on my way.”

“Thanks, Jesse. See you in a few days.” Gabriel couldn't help but smile as he hung up, tossing the phone onto his bed before carefully extracting Olivia from the middle of her pile of blankets. He carried her over to her bed and set her down, tossing the blankets over her and fighting a small laugh as she curled up into them like a child.

He took a deep breath, stretching his arms over his head until he got a satisfying crack. He plopped himself down into the spot Olivia had previously occupied, deciding to at least try and figure out what the mess of information she’d compiled meant, if only to keep her from being able to treat him like an idiot about all her innate connections and schemes in the morning.

A soft smile drifted across his lips as he looked over her work; Olivia always acted like work was the worst thing in the world, that she would rather do damn near anything else, but from what Gabriel could see in her files, the sheer number of connections she'd made was impressive, to say the least. The list of the various bars the victims had disappeared from, cross-referenced with snapshots of the mysterious blond woman, all neatly pinned to a copy of a map of the area, combined with the information she'd collected about each of the victims themselves.

All men, aged in their late twenties to early forties, all single and...

And all dead. Gabriel frowned, closing the laptop and deciding to call it a night for now. It hurt his heart to think about it, the fact that yet another person was dead and another could be at risk because they were having to wait on Jesse, but he refused to let it continue to trouble him. They'd catch and kill this monster, just like every other one they'd dealt with before.

Sleep didn't come easy that night, flashes of the crime scene photos flitting through his mind as he tossed and turned in a restless fit. Being well rested was rare for him until he finished whatever job he was working on, and Gabriel looked forward to being able to sleep at least halfway peacefully once they finished the job.

He could only hope that they’d be able to finish it soon.

* * *

 "Ay, Jesse! You grew out your beard!" Olivia's grin had grown the moment the stetson-wearing man stepped out of his truck, a deep laugh rumbling from him as he wrapped her in a hug when she dived for him.

"And you changed your hair. Last I remember, you still had it in that spiky updo, didn't ya?" Jesse grinned back at her, ruffling the side of her head that still had hair on it. The irritated noise she made only made him laugh again, letting go of her as he turned his sights to Gabriel. "Aw, Reyes... You gonna come hug me, or do I gotta come to you?"

Gabriel bit down his own grin until it was calmed to a smile, rolling his eyes as he met the younger man in a tight hug. "It's good to see you, McCree."

"Ugh, you two are so stuffy!" Olivia rolled her eyes, pointing back and forth between the two of them with a finely manicured finger. "I want none of your stupid 'last names only' crap this time around, okay? It's been over a year since we all got to work together like the old days!"

“Has it been that long? Seems like it was only a week or two ago we took out that shapeshifter in Montana.” Jesse offered a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck as he shrugged. "Reminiscing aside, let's get inside. I wanna hear everything about what y'all are tracking. Gabe told me a bit about it when he called, but I wanna know specifics. I mean, details _are_ your thing, Oli."

Olivia grinned wide, pride shining through as she jabbed a thumb at the motel door behind them. "You're in luck then. I've got all the cards laid out nice and simple, so even _you_ shouldn't have a problem keeping up."

Gabriel trailed behind, fighting down another grin as the two started up the lighthearted bickering that always came when they worked together; it didn't matter that the two were well into their adult years - far younger than Gabriel, of course, but still adults nonetheless - they would still bicker like teenage siblings fighting over who got to ride shotgun. It was so wholesome, so different from the brooding and serious tone that working with other hunters usually came with, it was like a breath of fresh air to work with the two of them again.

Olivia was already pulling up the organized mess of files on her computer, beaming with self-satisfaction as she showed off her work to Jesse. "So these highlighted spots on the map are the confirmed bars and clubs we've seen our darling Jane Doe at-" She gestured to the three bars highlighted in pink, tapping a few keys and pulling up various pictures from each bar, “-along with what shots I could pull from the security footage. She’s smart, that’s for sure. Hot, blonde, cute dress, and alone at a bar? She’s able to just lure men in, no questions asked other than ‘your place or mine?’ Her victims practically dive head first to their own death.”

A few more taps to the keyboard pulled up a short video clip, the girl speaking while it played silently in the background. “She just sits alone at the bar, sipping on a drink, waiting for someone to come up and talk to her and, every single time, someone does.” She pursed her lips, the video showing one of the victims coming up and sitting next to her. The exchange between the two was fairly short, the guy clearly flirting as their suspect let out a few laughs. The grainy security footage was far from great, but it was clear that the man flirting was trying to get handsy if the hand on the blonde woman’s thigh was any hint. The two on the footage chatted for a few more moments before leaving the bar, the video clip ending shortly after they were out of the camera’s sights.

Jesse hummed, rubbing his chin. “So, you got any clue as to where she’s gonna strike next? We could set a trap, let her think she’s lurin’ one of us off then get the jump on her when she least expects it. It doesn’t seem like she’s huntin’ to turn people, so I bet it’d be a safe route to try.”

Olivia grinned, tapping a few keys in to pull up a different list of bars. “That’s exactly what Gabriel suggested the other day. I doubt she’ll hit the same bar twice, so, if she stays in this area, these are where she’ll probably go. I’ve got access to the security cameras for all of them, so we can just sit back and watch the cameras and see which one she goes to.”

Gabriel grinned, leaning over to pat Jesse on the shoulder. “Once we find out which one she’s at, you get to go play bait.”

Immediately, the younger hunter’s head snapped to stare at him, looking absolutely appalled. “Why the hell do _I_ have to be the bait? Why can’t it be one of y’all?”

“Well, Olivia doesn’t fit the pattern of only men being lured off, so she’s already off the table without even counting the fact that she’s our eyes and ears. I’m a bit older than the usual age range for the victims, and you’re a natural charmer. It’ll be easiest for everyone if you’re the one to play along and get the vamp to try and take you home.” Gabriel shrugged, offering a small grin.

Jesse groaned, shaking his head. “I knew I only got called out here to be a hot slice of ass to use as bait.” His tone was full of annoyance, but the wide grin on his face betrayed him. “So, I just gotta go up to the gal, chat her up, and try and get her to offer to take me home?”

“Just work your charm, make her think that you’re into her and looking for a fun night,” Olivia smirked, leaning down and flicking his hat. “Though, before any of that, you need a makeover, cowboy.”

Jesse scowled, furrowing his brow. “What exactly do you mean, Olivia?”

“What I mean is the fact that you look like a John Wayne wannabe. That’s not very charming, amigo.” She clicked her tongue, crossing her arms as she turned to look at Gabriel. “Think you can get hold him down while I remove that god awful belt buckle?”

Immediately, Jesse rose to his feet, hands held out like he was trying to keep a wild animal at bay. “You are _not_ taking my damn belt buckle. It’s a wonderful conversation piece, thank ya kindly!”

Gabriel rolled his eyes, chuckling as he shook his head. It was going to be a _long_ night…


	2. Chapter 2

The plan was set, each of them in their places. Gabriel smirked around the lip of the bottle in his hands, slowly sipping on something that barely passed as a beer as he watched Jesse stroll into the bar. From the corner the elder hunter had cooped himself up in, the man seemed just like a stranger.

The young hunter looked so different compared to his usual ensemble; the tacky plaid button-up had been replaced with a sleek, wine red one, courtesy of Gabriel’s personal wardrobe, of course, along with a tastefully roguish leather jacket. His hair was, for once, combed and looking sleek and suave, signature stetson still planted stubbornly on his head. Gabriel pulled his look away, fighting down a snicker; the cowboy had fought Olivia tooth and nail for the right to wear his signature BAMF buckle, as well as his nicest looking pair of boots and jeans. He looked like a dressed up cowboy, but presentable nonetheless.

Over the bluetooth headset in his ear, Gabriel could hear Olivia snicker. “I still stand by the fact that he looks ridiculous, but even I have to admit it; the cowboy cleans up well.”

“I still can’t believe we let him wear that god awful belt.” He shook his head as he fought down a chuckle, taking another sip of his beer.

“Who knows, maybe the vamp has a soft spot for idiots with horrible fashion sense.” She snickered into his ear, and Gabriel could hear a few taps on her keyboard. “Gabriel Reyes, are you drinking on the job? I thought you were supposed to be the responsible one.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes at her dramatic tone, already knowing that she was watching him through the cameras. “Try to stick to the plan, Olivia. If I keep looking over at him, it’s going to look suspicious. That, or it’ll look like _I’m_ the one planning to make a move on our precious little cowboy. I don’t want the vamp thinking it’s gonna be an uphill battle to get Jesse to come home with her.”

“Speaking of which, and _don’t_ look now, but Jesse is making his way over to Blondie right now.” When Gabriel reflexively glanced over, Olivia cursed in his ear. “What did I just say?! Look, I’ll keep you updated, just don’t look over there and risk blowing this.”

The older hunter rolled his eyes but kept his gaze on the book in front of him as he tried his best to listen in from his quiet corner of the bar.

“‘Scuse me, miss, I don’t mean to be a bother, but… are you alright?” Jesse’s question was paired with a charming smile, the cowboy casually slipping onto the stool next to the blonde woman.

She raised a brow, a confused smile fluttering onto red painted lips. “I’m... fine, I suppose? Is there a reason I wouldn’t be?”

“Well, I just wanted to check on you, since it’s quite clear that you’re an angel that somehow made her beautiful way down here to bless us poor, depraved souls on Earth. Gettin’ down here, you must’ve fallen from heaven, didn’t you? A fall like that had to have hurt.” It took every ounce of self-control that Gabriel had to not groan and smack himself in the face. Of all the things he could’ve used as a start to a conversation, he picked a horrible pickup line?

Regardless of how horribly cheesy the line was, the woman flushed a light red and smiled, offering her hand. “I’ve got to admit, that’s a very kind thing to say to a woman you don’t even know. I’m Angela, and you are?”

Jesse let out a soft whistle. “Shoot, if that ain’t the most fitting name I’ve ever heard.” He grinned, ducking his head down as he took her hand, planting a kiss on the top. “The name’s Morricone, Joel Morricone.”

Her smile widened, giving a small chuckle at both the kiss and the comical James Bond impersonation. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Joel. You’re quite the charmer.”

“Why thank ya kindly.” Jesse grinned, the joking tip of his hat drawing another laugh from her. “Mind if I share a drink with you?”

Ruby red lips curled into a softer smile, a small nod following after. “I’d like that.”

The cowboy grinned wide, pulling his hat off and setting it on the bar. “What kinda drinks do you like? I’m a whiskey kind of guy myself, but I’ve yet to find anything I don’t like.”

Angela smiled sheepishly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Well, I’m not usually one to drink, so I don’t quite have a preference. Surprise me?”

Jesse raised a brow, trying his best to keep the front of a flirtatious stranger in place. “Well, if you’re not usually one to drink, why come to a bar?”

A look that he could only describe as sorrow flitted over her features for a fraction of a second before she smiled yet again, giving a small shrug.  “Isn’t the bar where you go when you want to let loose for once? Have some fun?”

McCree pushed a smile onto his own lips despite his suspicions, chuckling as he flagged down the bartender and ordered their drinks. “You’ve got a point, Miss Angela, that’s for sure.” As the bartender passed him the drinks and Jesse paid, he couldn’t shake the feeling of her eyes on him, watching his movements just as much as he had been watching hers. He hoped that he could pass it off as being a flirtatious, borderline sleazy guy, interested in a night alone with her, and not a hunter waiting for the fangs to appear.

“Why did _you_ come to the bar, Mr. Morricone?” Her question caught him off guard slightly, but he brushed his surprise aside with a passive shrug.

“I’m just a sucker, ma’am, out here looking for love in all the wrong places, looking to get my heart broken by a gorgeous, cold-hearted woman that’ll use me for a night, then send me packing in the mornin’.” Jesse grinned, wide and wolfish, watching the blush spread over her cheeks. “Think you’re the type to fit the bill, or did I just ruin any chances I might’ve had by being upfront about it?”

Angela stumbled over her words for a moment, clearing her throat a few times. “Well, upfront is definitely one way to put it.” She sipped at her drink, seeming to mull his offer over in her head.

From where he sat, Gabriel was, for a lack of better words, immensely impressed; he’d known Jesse was a flirt, the times they’d worked together always leading to the younger hunter picking someone up and spending a night celebrating a successful hunt in the bed of some stranger, but he’d never gotten the chance to actually _watch_ the man flirt. If almost reminded him of himself decades ago, before he even started hunting. Before he left high school, even, if he were being honest. He had been a notorious flirt in his youth, his love for theatrics only aiding in over-the-top stunts and romantic speeches that would make Jane Austen weep in her grave. Until he met someone that not only didn’t realize he was flirting, but was so genuinely sweet that, for the first time, Gabriel had been the one swept off his feet. He swallowed hard, shaking the invasive memories from his head as he took another sip of his beer. Now wasn’t the time to think about past love, about a life he longed for that was out of reach; now was the time to get the job done.

Olivia’s words were in his ear almost instantly. “I’ve gotta hand it to him; he _must_ be a smooth talker. Think she’ll go for it? I can’t hear a damn thing but she looks wooed as all hell.”

“I don’t know, I can only hear bits and pieces from here.  She hasn’t run or attacked him, so I’m assuming that’s a good sign.” Gabriel chuckled, shifting in his seat as he tried to not so obviously watch the two of them.

When the two at the bar stood, Gabriel could hear Olivia let out a noise of interest over the earpiece. “Looks like our little cowboy is finally getting somewhere. I’ll switch to exterior cameras once they’re outside and I’ll let you know when to start following.”

“Got it, keep me updated, Olivia.” His heart was thundering in his chest, watching the two leave from the corner of his eye. The moment Olivia gave him the go-ahead, he got up from the table, grabbing his bag and praying to whatever was listening that he looked casual enough before heading out to follow them.

He was sure to stick to the shadows, leaning against the side of the bar as he pulled out his phone and pretended to make a call. In his ear, Olivia snickered. “Way to stay inconspicuous, Gabe. You just going to let them walk off or what?”

“I’m giving them a bit more following distance. You would’ve had me following a bit closer than ‘coincidentally going the same route’ would cover, Oli.” Gabriel fought a small smile, rolling his eyes at the annoyed grumbling he could hear on the other end of the line. “It’s fine, I’m just trying to play it safe. Jesse’s a big boy, he can handle himself without me two feet behind him, especially when the fang hasn’t even tried anything yet.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m going to go ahead and switch to a camera further down the road. See you there, you old fart.”

Gabriel couldn’t help but chuckle, pushing off from the wall as he followed at a slow and steady pace. He could barely make out the quiet chatter between the two, walking as quietly as he could both to avoid detection as well as listen in.

“So, mind if I ask what your belt stands for?” Angela’s tone seemed genuinely curious as they walked arm in arm along the quiet street, and Jesse gave a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Well, I like to say it stands for ‘Bad Ass Mother Fucker’,” the young hunter put up air quotes, chuckling through his words, “but honestly, it should probably be ‘Bad At Making Friends’. It’s sort of a dumb inside joke, if it’s possible to have inside jokes with yourself.”

The woman frowned, tilting her head as she stared him down for a moment, something nigh unreadable in her eyes. “You seem like a very nice person, Joel. What would make you bad at making friends?”

Jesse shrugged, giving a soft hum as he fished out a cigar from a pocket in the jacket. “Well, I just ain’t the type to make friends with, Miss Angela. I travel too much to really have roots anywhere, never like to stay in a place for too long when there’s so much out there to see.” He flicked the lighter open, taking a moment to light his cigar and take a long drag. He sighed out the smoke, offering her a small smile. “I’m just a tumbleweed, rolling through the world, tryin’ to find my own way before I try to really settle down and make a life for myself.”

Angela furrowed her brow, a small frown settling in on her lips. “That doesn’t sound too bad, to be honest. Being free, going wherever you want, whenever you want, no obligations…” She pushed a smile forward, offering a small shrug of her own. “It sounds like a nice life, at least to me. I mean, if you’re all by yourself, you don’t have to worry about how others feel. Just earlier, I had to text my brother to let him know I was bringing a guy home so he wouldn’t be in the way. If our situations were swapped, it wouldn’t be as much of a pain.”

Jesse frowned, something in his gut telling him that it wasn’t her brother she texted, and it sure as hell wasn’t about getting in the way of her having a man over for the night. “Well, as nice as bein’ alone sounds, and I mean no disrespect, having someone to call family, to sit and chat with in a place to call your own… _that_ sounds like a nice life, not like a pain at all.”

When Angela suddenly slowed to a stop, both Jesse and Gabriel were confused, the latter quickly and quietly ducking into an alleyway to try and prevent being seen. Jesse frowned, brows knit together as he turned to face her. “Something wrong, darlin’?”

She looked like she was almost stumbling over her words, trying to sort out what the right thing to say was, giving a shaky sigh as she pulled her phone out and started tapping away at the screen. Jesse could swear he even saw the glimmer of tears in her eyes. “I- Joel, I’m sorry, I’m _truly_ sorry, but I… I can’t do this. I’m texting my brother to come and pick me up because I just can’t do this to you. You’re so sweet, and you’re the nicest guy I’ve had come and talk to me at a bar in a while, and you want a nice, calm, domestic life, and I just- I _can’t_. I’m not the woman you’re looking for a fun night with, I can promise you that wholeheartedly.”

Jesse’s gut clenched, the realization of her words hitting him like a tidal wave. He threw caution to the wind, grabbing her arm and yanking as hard as he could to try and throw her off balance. “Gabe, she’s backing out! Get out your ass out here!”

The shout made Gabriel’s blood run cold, bursting out from the alleyway as he rushed to Jesse’s aid. Before the blonde could even get a word out, the elder hunter had already struck, tackling her to the ground with every bit of force he could put into the movement. “McCree, grab the rope from my bag, quick!” He clamped a hand over her mouth, muffling the shout for help already tearing from her throat.

In his ear, Olivia sounded just a bit more panicked than she’d ever admit. “Gabriel, you’re gonna need to fill me in on what the fuck is going on over there. You’re in a blind spot, I can’t see a damn thing until I can find a camera that covers where you guys are at.”

“We’re almost at the corner of Pirtle and Washington, a bit too close to the gas station for comfort. Don’t worry about trying to get a camera view, we’ve got her, right now I just need you to find us a route away from where the fang can draw any attention if she keeps making noise.” Gabriel swallowed hard, brow furrowing at how Angela’s struggling became almost nonexistent the second he’d called her a fang, blue eyes wide and staring right at him. He grit his teeth, trying to regain his composure. “Yeah, we know what you are, Blondie, don’t look so surprised.”

Olivia hissed a curse in his ear, and he could barely hear her furious keyboard tapping over her mumbling. “Ah, think I found something! Two blocks down Pirtle going south, there’s a construction site. Closed for the night a few hours ago so it should be empty, and I can try and crack the security system from here so you don’t set anything off when you get there.”

“Got it. Thanks, kiddo.” Gabriel had no doubt that Olivia could crack the system; the girl had done far more with far less countless times before. It was just a bit terrifying how good she was at sneaking into what should be secure networks and get what she wanted done, but he’d be a liar if he said he wasn’t grateful she had those skills in moments like this. He turned to look at Jesse, who was in the process of securing the chords of rope he was tying around Angela’s arms. “We’re going two blocks down the next street going south, Olivia says there’s a construction site that should be cleared out for the night. We’ll take her there.”

“Got it. You got something to keep her quiet? I doubt she’s gonna go peacefully.” Jesse looked around, whether it was to make sure no one was witnessing what was clearly an abduction taking place or to look for something to work as a gag, Gabriel wasn’t sure.

There was muffled speech under his hand, the first sound the woman had made since her sudden silence, and, despite his instinct telling him not to, Gabriel pulled his hand away enough to allow her to speak. “I won’t scream, and I won’t struggle, just… _please_ , give me a chance to explain.” Her voice was nothing more than a shaky whisper, eyes flickering back and forth between Gabriel and Jesse, fear and pleading clear as day.

The hunter frowned, turning to look to Jesse for his opinion on the matter. When the other man just gave a confused shrug, Gabriel let out a slow sigh. “If you so much as _look_ like you’re about to scream, I won’t hesitate to knock you out. Got it?” Angela only gave a nod in response, and that was good enough for him.

He pulled her up from the ground, making sure she was steady on her feet before the three of them set off for the construction site. As promised, she stayed silent the whole way, wedged between Gabriel leading the group and Jesse staying behind to make sure she couldn’t turn and run for it.

They reached the construction site in minutes, Olivia chiding in Gabriel’s earpiece the minute they set foot on the property. “The only security they had were a few cameras. It was easy enough to set the footage to loop. They’ll never even know you borrowed their plot of land for a little while. You boys still doing okay?”

Gabriel wanted to grin, proud of her for her work, but kept his expression stony and serious. “Good work, Olivia. We’re fine, she’s being compliant so far. Keep an eye on the cameras in case anyone tries sneaking up on us.” The three of them ducked into the partially built building, the recently erected walls blocking them from any chance of being looked in on aside from Olivia’s view from the cameras.

“Got it, _boss_. I’ll call you back if I see anything suspicious.” Her tone was dancing a fine line between serious and sarcastic, but Gabriel let it slip for now as the line disconnected. He knew she meant nothing truly insulting, it was merely the stress on each of their ends getting to both of them.

“Want me to scope the place out?” Jesse’s quiet, gruff tone caught Gabriel’s attention, turning to look at him. “I mean, I know Oli probably already looked around through the cameras, but they don’t pick up everything. There could be a nasty surprise waiting for us inside if we ain’t careful. She said she was texting her brother earlier, could’ve warned him she was gonna get caught.”

Angela cleared her throat, drawing the two men’s attention away from their conversation. She waited a moment, getting an awkward ‘go on’ motion from Gabriel before speaking. “If you would let me explain instead of dragging me around like an _animal_ , I’m human, and I really was texting my brother to come and get me. I didn’t even get to finish typing it out before you grabbed me.”

“Do you _really_ expect us to believe that crock of shit?” Jesse’s brows were raised, looking more than a little unbelieving. The question earned a glare, but he had no plan of rewording it.

“If you don’t believe me, check for yourselves. You’re hunters, you probably already have something either covered or filled with dead man’s blood on you, and for your sake, I’m sure you know how to do a fang check.” She glared daggers at Jesse, expression softening only slightly as she turned her head to stare Gabriel down. “If you test me with the blood, however, please tell me you also have some disinfectant. It’s disgustingly unsanitary, and I don’t want an infected wound from a careless, unnecessary test because you don’t want to believe me.”

Gabriel’s brows shot up, sharing a look with Jesse; she definitely knew the ins and outs of it, that was for sure. He schooled his expression back into a scowl, patting the bag hanging from his shoulder. “You know your shit, I’ll give you that. I’ve got enough syringes of it in here to drop a whole nest.” He glanced over at Jesse, nodding his head towards Angela. “You wanna check her, or should I?”

Jesse frowned, huffing a sigh as he turned the woman around. “If you bite me, it ain’t gonna end well for you. I can promise that.”

“As much as I want to, I won’t.” Angela scowled, but opened her mouth, baring her teeth to offer the cowboy access to check for fangs.

The younger hunter glanced at Gabriel, who gave him the same motion to continue that he had given Angela, before turning back to the woman. After only a few short moments of poking at her gums, searching for any sign that a set of fangs could drop down from them, he pulled his hands back and away. “Gabe, she ain’t bullshitting us in the slightest. Ain’t a fang in sight.”

Angela shifted her tongue around her mouth, turning her head to the side to spit out the ashy aftertaste Jesse’s fingers had left. “Now do you believe me? I’m human. You have no reason to keep me here. If you let me go, I won’t call the authorities and report you both for abduction.” She cast as harsh a glare as she could between the two, but Gabriel didn’t miss the nervousness in her eyes.

“Jesse, just... head back to the motel and get Olivia. I’ll keep an eye on her.” Gabriel kept his eyes on her as he spoke, the blonde all but wilting under his stare.

“Reyes, you can’t be serious.”  His tone was a deadpan, the younger hunter looking just the slightest bit taken back by the order. “Look- so she ain’t a vamp, that doesn’t mean she’s not dangerous. She was the last one seen with every damn victim, so she’s got something to do with it, even if she ain’t the one doing the killing.”

The older hunter sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to think things through. “Just do as I ask. I want to talk to her alone for a moment, and, if there’s something worth hunting backing her up-” he jabbed a thumb at Angela, “then we’ll need Olivia here too in case things get hairy.”

Indecision was written all over his face, but Jesse finally complied, sighing as he headed for the doorway. “Don’t do anything stupid, Gabriel.” With that, he left, the quick clacking of his boots on the concrete growing quieter and quieter as he headed back to where his truck was parked at the bar.

With Jesse gone, Gabriel took a slow, deep breath, mulling things over in his head. “Look, no one knows that much about vampires and how to check if someone is one unless they’re one of three things-” he held a hand up, raising a finger for each option,”-a hunter, a vampire, or a human that knows vampires personally. If you were a hunter, you wouldn’t be so nervous and it’d just be a big misunderstanding, so that option is out.” He dropped one finger, keeping his eyes locked on Angela’s. “Jesse already confirmed that you’re human, so the second option is out too.” The second finger dropped, and he reached forward to gently tap the side of her neck with the last one remaining. The motion earned a flinch, Gabriel huffing a soft sigh. “That leaves only one option; you’re a human that, for some ungodly reason, is protecting a nest. Feeding them and finding food for them when you’re tapped out.”

Angela looked mortified, but stayed silent and still as a statue.

“I’m guessing I hit the nail right on the head, didn’t I? What is it, do they have you work as a lure, bait men home for them to tear apart and feed on? Are they making you do it?”

Tears welled in her eyes, spilling over as she gave a slow shake of her head. When Angela finally spoke, her voice cracked like dry paint. “Please, if you let me go, we’ll leave, and we’ll never come here again. I just want to protect them. They’re my family.”

Gabriel’s heart ached just a bit, sighing as he made a twirling motion with his finger. “C’mon, turn around. You aren’t a threat, there’s no reason to keep you tied up.” When she turned, the hunter carefully undid the row of knots Jesse had made, stuffing the rope back in his bag as Angela wiped at her eyes. “You say they’re family, yet they’re having you lure people in to kill. That doesn’t sound like a healthy family.”

She shook her head again, taking a shaky breath. “You don’t get it, you just see them as monsters. The two vampires I live with, the two people that are the _only_ family I have left in this world, they don’t even _want_ to drink blood, but they don’t have a choice anymore. I can’t support both of them with only my blood, not with how much my wife drinks from me. Don’t blame them, I’m begging you.” The tears were growing into sobs, and it did nothing to help ease the hint of guilt creeping through Gabriel’s conscience. Her _wife_?

“Look, just- take some deep breaths, get yourself together.” Gabriel sighed, rubbing at his temples. “Let me try and get this straight; you count two vampires, one of which you _married_ , as your family, and you’ve been luring innocent people home to the nest to be fed on and killed? That’s the gist of it, isn’t it?”

Her breath hitched, sniffling as she wiped at her eyes. “I don’t lure anyone that wouldn’t deserve to be torn apart.” She wrinkled her nose in disgust, leaning against one of the bare walls and slipping down until she was sitting. “Your friend- Jesse, Joel, whatever his actual name is- he’s the only one I’ve tried luring that wasn’t a complete creep. That’s why I couldn’t go through with it. He never touched me without me offering him my hand, never tried groping me, or spiking my drink… He’s not the type that I can live with luring home, not like every other one.”

Gabriel’s stomach lurched; the plan had been ruined because Jesse was _too_ nice? “Okay, I can understand that you’ve got… _kind of_ good intentions, but it’s still murder. You’re still feeding vampires, not family.” He honestly felt terrible for the woman, for how convinced she was that monsters were worth protecting. He heard the telltale ring of the earpiece in his ear, alerting him to an incoming call, but he ignored it for now; some part of him that he thought was long dead honestly felt for the woman, for the horrid situation she was stuck in the middle of, and he didn’t want to risk answering a call destroying whatever ground he was gaining in getting through to her.

Angela took a shaky breath, frown still cemented to her lips. “I know that it’s murder, I’ve already wrestled with that moral dilemma more times than I can count, I just- I just want you to understand that it was _my_ choice to lure people. It wasn’t my family’s idea, it was _mine_ , and neither of them should be punished for what I willingly did to keep them alive. Whether you’re willing to acknowledge the fact that they’re my family or not, it wasn’t their choice, it was something I did to keep them alive.” She grit her teeth, glaring up at him. “Look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn’t do whatever it takes to keep your family safe, no matter the cost, and maybe I’ll give a damn what you have to say. I’d rather die than let you hurt them.”

Gabriel frowned, response ready on his tongue when he heard a faint creak behind him, the only alert he had before an inhumanly strong arm was around his throat, cutting off his air. He scrabbled at the attacker, gritting his teeth as he clawed at the arm of the person choking him. He hadn’t even heard someone show up, let alone get behind him, and he cursed himself a thousand times over for sending Jesse off to get Olivia and for neglecting to answer her call.

He reached blindly for his bag, desperately trying to grab hold of one of the syringes of blood to try and take the vampire down. The action only earned a tighter grip, and Gabriel was surprised his head hadn’t somehow popped off of his shoulders yet. “Just go down peacefully, you’re not getting out of this.” A gruff voice was in his ear, the growled words barely even understood through the heavy fog settling over his senses.

His pulse thudded in his ears like a frantic drum, a faint ringing that he couldn’t quite locate echoing in his head, and Gabriel knew couldn't fight the grip for much longer. It didn’t take long for dark spots to litter his vision, barely able to make out a tall, pale woman in black rushing forward to Angela’s side as his vain fight for freedom slowed to a halt. The hunter went down like a ton of bricks, the incomplete room swirling to black around him as he lost consciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

Olivia didn’t know if she wanted to scream or laugh or flat out _cry_ at how horrible things had gone. She’d seen the two figures creeping up, she’d tried to get Gabriel to answer his damn phone, and she’d had to watch it all blow up the minute the big ass blond guy got Gabriel in a choke hold.

She took a deep breath, trying her damndest to calm herself down and think of what the hell could be done about the situation.

His phone.

Olivia took a grounding breath, shaking the fears out of her head as best as she could for the moment; Gabriel had let her set up the security on his phone, the same phone in his pocket that he’d so _lovingly_ refused to answer, and she had all the login information needed to track it through the various security options on the site she’d set it up with. If the situation were any less dire, the young hunter would’ve all but pat herself on the back for the resourcefulness, but her pride was the least of her concerns as she got to work.

Headlights flashed through the motel windows, followed soon after by the click of Jesse’s keycard unlocking the door. “Hey, Oli, Reyes wanted me to-”

“Jesse, I’m going to need you to shut up for at _least_ five minutes so I can talk. Gabe’s in trouble, and we’re gonna have to go save him.

She didn’t have to look away from her screen to see the surprise on his face, fingers flying across her keyboard as she typed in all the necessary information to start the remote tracking. Only once it was started did she turn to look at him, and the man looked like he was one wrong word away from a breakdown. “Olivia, what in the hell is going on, and why do you think Gabe’s in trouble?”

She pushed up from her chair, already going about gathering up what they’d need as she spoke. “The bastard wouldn’t answer his phone when I tried calling him, like he _asked_ me to, to let him know I caught something on the cameras. Blondie’s nest caught up to her, and they nabbed him about five minutes ago. Two of them, one a big blonde guy and the other a ginger girl, and I’d bet my best knife on them both being from the nest she’s from.” She swallowed past a lump in her throat, clearing it as quietly as she could before continuing. “I already turned on the tracker for his phone, so what we’re going to do is let them take him to wherever the hell their nest is, let them _think_ that they’ve got him, and then we’re going to go in there and wipe them out.”

Jesse stumbled on his words, still trying to get the severity of the situation clear in his head through the instinctive panic. “Olivia, we don’t know if there’s more than the two you saw on camera. I mean-” he took a ragged breath, gritting his teeth as he helped gather everything they’d need to raid the nest. “What if they don’t even keep him alive? If Angela was out tonight to lure back a meal to feed her nest, then-”

She whipped her head to glare at him with everything she had. “Don’t you _dare_ , Jesse McCree. Don’t even start with that shit, because you and I both know Gabe would tear that nest apart limb from limb if one of us were in the situation he’s stuck in. He’s always had our backs, now it’s our turn to have his.”

He bit the inside of his cheek, swallowing hard and giving a nod. “...You’re right, I’m sorry. I just… I feel guilty for not staying there with him, or not suggesting we just drag her back here to interrogate. If I’d thought ahead-”

“Jesse, just-” She sucked a breath in sharply, shoving the now packed duffle bag against his chest. “You can feel like shit later, and I can give you all the hell you want about it later if you want it, but that’s only after we go show Gabe that we’re the ones saving him this time, got it?” She forced a smile to her face, more than grateful that he didn’t comment on the tears shared between the two of them; Gabriel was just as much a father figure to him as he was to her, and neither of them would judge the other for the fear for the elder man’s safety.

It took longer than either of them would’ve liked for the little pin showing them where Gabriel was finally settled, Jesse jotting down the address before the two of them left the motel like two bats out of hell.

Olivia was by no means religious, especially not with the kind of life she led and all she’d seen in her time hunting, but as the two of them sped down the road in a fragile silence, she couldn’t help but pray for Gabriel’s safety.

* * *

Everything felt too heavy, too bright, and too loud to Gabriel as he cracked his eyes open. The closest feeling he could pin it as was a hangover straight from the depths of hell, and it took him far too long to take inventory of himself.

He was in a house, not a motel room, and his arms felt uncomfortable stiff. The ache in his shoulders and numbness in his fingers were only amplified when he tried to pull his arms out from behind his back, something rough and taut keeping his wrists snugly latched together behind the back of the chair he was in.

He was tied up, that was now glaringly obvious, and, considering he could feel that he still had his pants on, he doubted that it was for a fun time. His head throbbed, and the shouting coming from somewhere above him in the house was enough to make him visibly wince.

“Ah, you’re up.” The voice made him jump more than he would’ve liked, and the soft click of shoes on concrete ended when the blonde from the bar stopped in front of him. “I was worried you were out for good. I was worried I’d dosed you too heavily to keep you out of it while-” A loud crash from the room Gabriel assumed the shouting was coming from made them both wince, a frown lingering on her lips. “-while they sorted things out.” His stomach lurched dangerously close to the point of vomiting; she’d given him something to stay knocked out. She’d drugged him.

“What the hell is even going on? Where the hell am I?” Gabriel scowled, trying his best to look threatening despite his lack of mental clarity.

The slam of a door being flung open somewhere behind him cut off any response she would’ve given, and the shouting was clear enough for Gabriel to understand without the door muffling it. “-don’t see why you won’t just listen to me, goddammit!” The voice made his stomach churn, the gruff, angry tone bringing back the memory of what had happened before he was knocked out back in full force. It was the guy that choked him out.

There was a patterned creak of someone descending the stairs behind him, followed by an irritated sigh. “Angela, darling, can you _please_ talk some sense into your idiot brother. Nothing I try gets through to him.” A thick Irish accent pulled Angela’s attention away, the woman’s brows furrowing as she looked over Gabriel’s shoulder to whoever entered the room.

“Moira, I don’t think-” The woman was cut off again as the door slammed back open, heavy footsteps pounding their way down the stairs.

“Don’t just walk away from me, and don’t storm down here when we’re not done talking about this!” The gruff-voiced man was in the room, and Gabriel couldn’t deny that it sent a chill of panic through him.

There was another irritated sigh, the owner of which finally coming into Gabriel’s field of vision. It was the tall, pale woman he’d caught a glimpse of before passing out. One sharply manicured hand ran through locks of short, fiery red hair, a scowl set on her face. “Jack, there’s nothing to talk about! I mean really,” she set her scowl in Gabriel’s direction, reaching out to roughly grab the chair he was in and turn it around, “why are you stupid enough to argue for him? For a damn _hunter_?”

The swift, unexpected motion made his stomach lurch, but Gabriel locked his eyes on the source of the gruff voice as soon as he was spun around. The man was… actually quite good looking, if he were being honest with himself. Short and neatly groomed blond hair, muscular, and brilliant, oddly familiar blue eyes. The two long, jagged scars running along his face were a bit jarring, and the borderline feral look he had was only amplified by the old injuries.

“I’m arguing for him because _you’re_ not thinking this through!” Jack grit his teeth, eyes flickering to Gabriel long enough for the hunter to feel more than a little uncomfortable. “Like you said, he’s a hunter; I doubt it’ll go well for us if other hunters like him find out we killed one of their own.”

Moira scoffed, giving a disdainful chuckle. “And you think it’ll go well if we let him live? Jack, hunters like him pick off our kind on a daily basis. They’ve hunted us down to practically being extinct! There’ll be hunters after us any way we go, we’re already going to have to move again, so why not take out one of them while we can? Show them how it feels to lose one of their own?”

There was a look of something dangerously close to indecision on Jack’s face for a moment, and Gabriel’s stomach felt like it was ready to empty itself now more than ever. Those eerily familiar blue eyes found Gabriel’s, expression softening for the briefest of moments before turning back to anger as he shifted his gaze back to Moira. “Because it’s not necessary. Petty revenge won’t get us anywhere, and it’ll just make things harder for us down the road. If we show mercy, if we let Gabe go instead of killing him, maybe he’ll finally get that we’re not wanting to hurt anyone, we’re just trying to survive. Nothing more, nothing less.” _Gabe?_ Why the hell would a vampire call him _Gabe_?

Before Moira could respond, there was a soft gasp of realization from behind Gabriel, and he really, really wished it didn’t hurt so much to move, or he would’ve turned to look. “Oh my god, _Jack_. Is this- Is he-” Angela stumbled over her words, rushing to stand in front of Gabriel. She ducked down, surprise in her eyes as she cupped his face. “The other man that was with you, the other hunter, he called you Reyes. That’s your last name, isn’t it? Your name is Gabriel Reyes?”

The tone of what he could only read as excitement only confused him further, but he gave a hesitant nod. “Yeah, so? What’s my name have to do with anything?” The answer was apparently the one she was looking for, teeth catching her lip as she looked at Jack, then back to Gabriel, then back to Jack again. Gabriel shifted his gaze from her to the man in front of him, confusion staying ever-present as he saw what seemed to be a blush creeping over his face. “Can someone please explain what the hell I’m missing here?”

“If I could get an explanation as well, that’d be grand.” Moira huffed, annoyance dripping from her tone. “What the hell are you two on about? Do you know him, Jack?”

“I-” Jack swallowed hard, gaze flickering between everyone in the room, not sure just who to look at. “It’s complicated, Moira.”

There was a creak in the floorboards in the room above them, and Gabriel could practically feel the tension spike in the room. He heard a snarl from behind him, the chair he was stuck in being whipped around to face Moira. She was glaring daggers, fangs descended and bared mere inches from his face. She gripped him by the jaw, nails digging in damn near enough to draw blood. “How many hunters are you working with, Gabriel? How many people should I expect up there?”

Gabriel’s words caught in his throat, panic seizing his system; he had no doubt that it was Jesse and Olivia up there, and he had no doubt that those two precious little idiots were here to try and save his hide. He swallowed hard, blood going cold as the sound of the door at the top of the stairs creaking open broke the silence hanging in the air from his lack of a response.

Jack moved to guide Angela away from the stairs, the two coming back into Gabriel’s field of vision. It seemed like neither of them were looking forward to the unavoidable conflict that was clearly about to take place.

Moira let go of his chin, silently stalking over to the stairs as the first few steps creaked, one of the younger hunters starting to make their way down. Gabriel grit his teeth, feebly trying to tug at the ropes again. He didn’t want either of them to get hurt; they were capable hunters, he knew that, but with how kill hungry Moira was, he feared not only for his own safety, but for theirs even moreso.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heavy trigger warnings for this chapter specifically: Excessive Violence, Suicide, Moira-does-a-big-fuck-up. This chapter, in particular, is why I picked a sad as all hell FOB song for the title.

The second one boot-clad leg was visible, Moira struck, grabbing his leg and yanking him the rest of the way down the stairs. The undignified squawk he let out on the way down was enough to make them all jump, and the groan of pain that followed had Gabriel panicking. “Jesse?! Fuck, Jesse, are you alright?”

There was a clamor upstairs as Olivia rushed down the stairs, gasping at the sight of Jesse knocked flat on his ass, Moira too close for comfort. “Get the hell away from him!”

Gabriel’s stomach dropped the second he heard her voice, his struggle to try and turn the chair around himself getting a second wind at the thought of the two getting hurt. “Olivia, get Jesse out of here, now!”

“Oh my _god_ , will you all shut up?!” Moira’s words were more growled than spoken, and Gabriel bit back a noise of surprise as the chair he was stuck in was unceremoniously kicked over by the Irishwoman. The only positive side to counter the burst of pain in his shoulder was the fact that she’d tipped him over to face everything that was going on. “I should drain him dry, here and now, just to teach you both a goddamn lesson!” She ducked down, lifting Jesse’s unconscious body up by the collar. A small splotch of blood trickled down his temple, hat knocked off in the tumble down the stairs.

Angela pushed past Jack, the man having to physically hold her back. “Moira, just stop! Please!” She struggled in vain against the grip, face screwed into a pleading grimace.

Olivia had no such pleasantries for the female vampire, glaring daggers at the redhead as she rushed down the stairs. “If you so much as _nip_ him I’ll hack you into a thousand pieces, you psychotic bitch!”

It was easy for Moira to duck out of the way, dropping Jesse back to the ground as she dodged the wild swings Olivia was throwing her way, knife covered in dead man’s blood and ready to slice. She bared her fangs in a snarl, mismatched eyes darting to follow the girl’s movements. “How about I just kill him then, you insolent little brat? Wasting perfectly good blood is no skin off my nose.” She lunged forward, towards Jesse, rearing a hand back to claw out his throat.

Olivia didn’t have time to think, didn’t have time to consider the possible repercussions the action might have, flinging herself in front of the unconscious hunter. Pain bloomed in her side, and the scream she let out tore at Gabriel’s soul from where he struggled on the floor. Her side was torn open, blood already oozing from the four deep gashes Moira’s clawed nails had left. The scent of fresh blood made Jack freeze, releasing his grip on Angela as he took a step back, gritting his teeth as he tried to look anywhere but at Olivia.

“Moira, my love, _please,_ just… just calm down.” Angela’s eyes were wide and panicked, hands held up like she was trying to calm down a wild animal rather than her wife.

Mismatched eyes glared at her, brimming with hurt and anger. “How can you defend them, Angie? These… these _hunters_! They come after people like _me-_ people like **_Jack_** , for fuck’s sake- and _kill_ us! How can you even _try_ to defend them?!”

“Moira, listen-” Jack’s voice sounded dangerously unsteady, a crack in his tone with damn near every word, “ _I’ll_ go, okay? Angela doesn’t need to be dragged into this; I don’t want to separate the two of you, but I’ll get the hunters out of here, and… and I’ll figure something out.”

Immediately, Angela spun to look at him, an air of betrayal surrounding her. “Jack, I’m not letting you run off without me! I can’t risk-” Her voice cracked, tears clawing at the corners of her eyes. Gabriel almost felt bad for her. “I can’t lose you, not again. I’ve seen you almost die once, I’m not having you run off and die now! They’ll kill you!”

A snarl curled on Moira’s lips, glaring down at where Olivia was bleeding at her feet, eyes flickering to wash the seething glare over Gabriel briefly before returning to the girl. Olivia didn’t falter, not in the slightest, as she held herself protectively in front of Jesse, returning the glare with everything she had as Moira crouched down to get in her face. “You… you _hunters_.” She spat the word, malice dripping from her voice. “You’re the ones who are causing all this trouble. You’re the ones tearing my family apart. Are you happy? This is what you do, isn’t it?”

Olivia sneered, spraying a mouthful of spit up at the redhead. “And you think your kind are so innocent? I lost my family to vampires, _puta_. You wanna talk about tearing apart families? You _leeches_ literally tore mine apart.” Gabriel was fairly certain he was the only one who heard the crack in her voice, her perfect facade chipping away ever so slightly under the fire in her tone.

Moira bared her teeth, a feral snarl rumbling through her throat. Mismatched eyes flickered around the room, passing over everyone one by one in a quick, calculating move, finally resting back on Olivia with an eerily calm fury. “You know, girl, I’m getting sick and tired of hearing you run your mouth.” None of them saw it coming, least of all Olivia, as Moira clawed open her palm, slapping her hand over Olivia’s mouth and forcing the blood down her throat.

The room seemed to stand still, time itself freezing as Olivia choked on the blood. Purple nails clawed at Moira’s hands, weak little scratches being left in the pale flesh as tears welled in her eyes. Gabriel’s heart stopped, watching Olivia’s hands fall to her sides weakly.

“Moira…” Angela’s voice was hardly above a whisper, tears flowing freely as the realization of what her wife had done fully hit her. “Moira, how could you?!”

The Irishwoman’s expression shifted, the rage and hatred melting into sincerity, brows drawing together as she crossed the room to try and comfort Angela. She stopped in her tracks as Jack stood between them, fangs bared and ready to fight to keep her away from his sister. “Angie, darling, I did this for _us_ , for our _family_! You can’t know for sure that these hunters won’t be back, that they won’t try to strike us down just for being who we are.” She offered a pained smile, waving her hand almost dismissively at Olivia as the girl shook and convulsed on the floor. “They need to understand, Angela, and having one of their own be like us… it’s the only way, I _know_ it is. I can see now that killing them will do nothing- I _know_ it; this is the only way for them to understand us.”

Gabriel could barely hear her over the ringing in his ears, eyes firmly locked onto Olivia. Her side was still bleeding heavily, one hand loosely held over the wound while the other clamped over her mouth. He could see her tears from here, the shaking in her frame betraying her panic long before the shaky sobs could be heard.

“G-Gabe…” Her voice was shaking, turning and staring wide-eyed at him. Even from where he was caught behind Jack and Angela, he could see the wide, blown pupils; the aching, _hungry_ look slowly growing from within the sheer fear in her horrifically bloodshot eyes.

It was horrifying, being able to practically see the conflict rage within her; she was turning, that much was certain, and Gabriel had a feeling that Jesse wasn’t exactly safe anymore.

Angela glanced over at him, the look in her eyes being far too knowing to give any comfort. She’d been there when Jack turned, when Moira turned him, and she knew what would happen next. “Jack, get him untied, _now_. Gabriel, I need you to get Jesse out of here. She’s going to need to feed, especially with that wound, and I’m sure she won’t know when to stop. I can take care of her and get her some blood to help heal up her side. I… I’m pretty good at being a blood pack, she’ll be okay..” Her smile was so… sad. Gabriel swallowed past the lump in his throat, eyes flickering between her and Olivia as he fought to think.

A groan tore from Olivia’s throat, gaining the attention of everyone in the room and stopping Jack in his tracks as the vampire started untying the knots binding Gabriel to the chair. “No…” Her voice was still shaking, nails digging deep, angry red lines into her scalp. “It… it wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

“Olivia-”

“I’m pretty sure I was supposed to be the one with the backup plan, eh Gabe?” Her laugh was weak, wet with tears, and the smile she gave chilled Gabriel to the bone. It felt like a rock had settled in his gut, frozen in place as he watched Olivia’s eyes trail over to Jesse’s unconscious body. “I-I… I can’t live like this. I can’t-” Her voice broke, and she tried her best to swallow back the fresh pool of tears in her eyes.

“Olivia, it’s- it’s not the best life, but it’s better than nothing.” Jack’s voice was strained, cautious. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife, and he tried his best to choose his words wisely.

She scoffed, giving a resigned shake of the head. “You don’t get it, Jack.” She took a deep breath, one shaking hand reaching out to the man beside her. “It was… it was _luck_ that’s gotten me this far. It was luck that left me alive when my family was eaten alive by the kind of monsters I thought weren’t real.” She let out a noise of pain as she leaned over, a hand delicately tracing over Jesse’s face. “And… it was luck that I met this asshole, and the one you’re trying to protect. The one we’re _both_ trying to protect.”

Gabriel’s heart stopped, panic flaring in him when he saw Olivia’s hand move south, fingers shaking as she pulled Jesse’s gun from its holster on his hip.

_No._

“Luck runs out, y’know? I didn’t think it’d be this way.” Olivia let out what could barely be considered a laugh, a sad, broken noise through the forced smile on her lips. “I’m not putting the closest thing to a family I have at risk because _I’m_ the monster. I’d…” She laughed, head tipping back as her free hand wiped at her eyes. “I’d rather die.”

The realization of her words slunk through Gabriel’s mind like a wounded animal; the horrifying, desperate truth in her declaration clawing its way through him like talons. “Olivia-”

“Gabe, I swear to God, you better take care of this idiot.” He couldn’t finish his sentence without her talking over him, even now, and the burning behind his eyes betrayed his emotion. “Jesse’s such a stupid hunter sometimes, he’s gonna need you a lot more than I did.”

He couldn’t let this happen, he couldn’t let her do this. “Olivia, we can figure something out. We can-”

“I’m not going to live as a fucking monster, Gabriel!” The shout echoed through the otherwise too quiet room, eyes wet with tears glaring at him. “I-I just _can’t_.” The sureness in her tone was chilling even as her voice shattered, breaking like a plate against a wall. “I just hope it’s not too late for this to work.”

Everything happened far too quickly, far too much of a blur for Gabriel to even keep track of as Olivia’s arm shot up, pressing the revolver’s barrel to the underside of her chin. He didn’t jump at the crash of the gun firing, didn’t even _flinch_ at Angela’s scream of horror as Olivia’s body slumped over in a lifeless heap

It all felt surreal, like a nightmare he couldn’t shake himself out of. Even as the sharp, metallic scent of blood filled the room, the broken sobs of Angela breaking down echoing in his ears, he couldn’t seem to even blink, let alone move. He heard shouting, Jack’s voice loud and unclear as Gabriel’s stomach churned, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Olivia’s crumpled body.

Jack had lunged forward, all snarls and feral growls as he attacked Moira, but Gabriel still couldn’t bring himself to move. It was only when Angela had dropped in front of him, putting herself between the two of them and blocking the view, that he was able to snap back to his senses.

“Gabriel, I’m-” Her voice was choked, tears in her eyes as she untied him. “This is all my fault, this shouldn’t be happening, I’m so sorry.” The hunter had no words to reply, scrambling over to Olivia’s side the second he was free.

He narrowly avoided a flailing limb from the two fighting vampires just a few feet away, head still spinning as he turned to look at them. Jack had Moira pinned down and cowering, covering the bloody patch that had been once been her eye as he clawed into her with murderous intent.

“Both of you, just- STOP!” Angela’s shout echoed through the room, Jack’s reared back hand halting in its path to claw another mark into Moira’s face. “That’s enough, Jack. There’s been enough death today.” Her voice cracked, shaking her head as she slowly crossed the room, dropping down next to Jesse to start checking him over.

Jack snarled but did as he was asked, taking heaving breaths as he fought to rein himself in. Moira retreated immediately, turning and bolting for the stairs the moment Jack was off of her. His fangs retracted, slowly but surely, and he quickly returned to Angela’s side. “You should’ve let me finish the job.” His words were practically a growl, quiet and fuming.

She said nothing on the topic, brows furrowed as she looked over Jesse. “He should be fine, I can easily patch him up. The head injury doesn’t look serious enough to be a concussion, just a scrape, but he’ll need to rest and give himself time to heal if he doesn’t want to go to an actual doctor.”

Gabriel swallowed past the lump in his throat, eyes drifting from the three of them back to where Olivia’s body still sat in front of him. “I… I’ll take care of her body. You guys get Jesse back to the motel.”

“Gabriel…”

He shook his head as he scooted next to Angela, digging through McCree’s pockets to fish out his keys. “Just-” His voice cracked, swallowing past the lump in his throat as he tossed the key to the man. “Just don’t, Jack. She deserves a proper hunter’s funeral, and Jesse needs to be taken care of.” He dug through his pockets, handing over his key card to the motel. “I doubt that Jesse will mind you taking his truck, so just get him back safely.”

“You can use my car to get back,” Angela spoke up, pulling her own keys from her jacket and gently resting them in Gabriel’s hands. She turned to Jack, frown still lurking on her lips. “Can you get him? I don’t think I can carry him.”

Jack nodded, wiping Moira’s blood off on his pants before silently hauling Jesse over his shoulder. Gabriel led him and Angela out to the young hunter’s truck, helping Jack get the unconscious boy carefully strapped into the back seat.

After a short exchange of Gabriel giving directions to the motel, Angela pointing out where her car was for him to use, and the hunter grabbing a few supplies from Jesse’s truck, they took off for the motel. Stepping into the house, he took a moment to search, finding a set of sheets and some twine. His stomach churned as he carefully wrapped Olivia in the sheet, securing the wrap before carrying the body to rest just outside of the house.

He took a deep breath, swallowing the wave of nausea rising in his throat, and set out to start building the pyre.


	5. Chapter 5

He didn’t really know exactly where the tradition came from, or at least how it made its way to be a hunter’s tradition, but it was one that he fully intended to carry through. It would’ve been easy enough to just salt and burn the body; without a physical vessel, there’d be a much lower chance of Olivia’s spirit to linger and become vengeful if her soul wasn’t properly reaped. However, Gabriel knew that she’d want the full shebang. It wouldn’t feel right to not follow tradition for her.

The first time he’d seen a hunter pyre was a few hours after he’d been forcefully introduced to the world of hunting, a few hours after a wraith had tried killing him. One of the hunters from the group that had saved him had been killed in Gabriel’s place, and he’d been there to help gather the branches and carry the body.

He let his mind wander as he gathered the branches, meticulously arranging them to make the platform. The mindless work did wonders to help clear his head, to rein in the onslaught of thoughts plaguing him. With him being the only one to cut down the trees and arrange the chords of wood, the first slivers of the light of day were already peeking through the trees surrounding the small clearing by the time it was all ready.

His stomach clenched as he turned to head to the back of the house, crouching down to carefully lift Olivia’s body. His eyes stung, biting back the tears as he carried her to the pyre. Gabriel took a shaky breath as he set her on top, being as careful as he could to not bump her against any of the edges of the makeshift pedestal.

By the time he’d doused her body in salt and lighter fluid, he’d already broken down little by little, tear-blurred eyes having trouble striking the match to set it all ablaze. When he finally managed to start the fire, the hunter took a deep breath, wiping away what tears had managed to slip past as he tried his best to bottle up whatever was still trying to come out.

“I always thought it would be the other way around, that you and maybe Jesse would be the ones having to set one of these up for me. Hell, especially after I got knocked out and woke up in a vamp nest, I thought _I’d_ be the one dead.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, watching the flames overtake her shrouded body as he spoke. He didn’t even try to put the guilt he was feeling into words, to vocalize the fact that it should’ve been _him_ burning, not her. She didn’t deserve to go out like that, to die so young. “You’ve gone through so much shit, so many horrible situations right from the start, yet you always came out on top. You took to hunting better than I did, and you made so many of us so goddamn proud.” Gabriel’s voice cracked, taking a shaky breath as he wiped at the tears threatening to come out. “It’s… it’s messed up that this is how it went, that this is what finally killed the great Olivia Colomar. I’m gonna miss you, kiddo.”

He lingered by the fire for a long while, unable to think of anything more that needed to be said; he knew that Olivia had known that he cared for her like family, that he was so proud of how much she’d overcome. Saying the words out loud to her burning corpse felt wrong, so he said no more than he already had. He didn’t trust himself to hold it all together if he tried.

Gabriel waited until the fire had died out enough to be safe to leave in the dreary weather before packing up and heading to the motel. As he pulled into a parking space, he couldn’t help but notice Jack sitting outside with his knees to his chest, only rising up from the position once Gabriel was stepping out of the car. “How did it go?”

Jack’s question was innocent, but it didn’t keep the threatening rise of bile to burn in the back of Gabriel’s throat. “Same as every other hunter funeral. One of your friend’s bodies gets salted and burned, some words are said, and you’re left wondering if so much death, so much _loss_ is worth continuing being a hunter.” His words were all but mumbled, shuffling on tired feet over to the blond. Rather than moving with him towards the door, he planted himself next to where Jack had originally been sitting, motioning for the vampire to sit back down next to him.

After a moment of hesitation, Jack complied, dropping back down to sit with him. “Gabriel, I just-”

“If you’re trying to apologize, you can save your breath, Jack.” Gabriel cut him off before he could even start, tipping his head back to rest against the concrete wall. “You were arguing for my life back there, both while I was out cold and while I was right in front of you. If you hadn’t, I doubt I’d have even woken up at all, let alone be here to talk about it. Thank you for that.” He tipped his head to the side, offering the man a tired smile.

“It’s… it was no problem, really.” Jack gave a soft chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. The barest hint of a blush was creeping onto his cheeks, and Gabriel couldn’t help but note that it made him look good, less like a threat. “I mean, I just… I couldn’t forgive myself if I let her do anything to you, Gabe.”

The hunter swallowed hard, brow furrowing. There he went again, calling him Gabe like he knew him personally. Gabriel frowned at the itch of something forgotten, something important that was just outside of his reach. “I don’t know if it’s just from getting knocked out or something else but… you keep acting like you know me, like _personally_ know me. Have we met before, or…?”

Jack’s laugh was anything but genuine, the sad sound more like a shuttered exhale more than a real laugh. “I didn’t expect you to remember me, and I honestly don’t expect you to now. I mean, it’s been what, 30 years? Give or take a few?” The blond furrowed his brow, shaking his head with a sigh. “I honestly think it might be better if you _don’t_ remember me.”

As the other rambled, Gabriel was already trying to piece it together. If he’d known the other 30 or so years ago, that means they’d have met in…

Gabriel’s stomach did a flip that would’ve made an Olympic medalist proud; they would’ve met in high school, and there was only _one_ person he knew from his high school years that he allowed to call him Gabe, and that one person more than coincidentally shared the same first name as the vampire in front of him.

“Wait, you- you’re… Jack _Morrison_?”

The sheepish grin on the other’s face slammed the last piece in place, the life he’d left behind all crashing back. “I know it’s not exactly the post-graduation reunion our class planned, but it’s good to see you again, Gabe. I mean, not that I’d even be welcome at the reunion since technically I didn’t graduate with you and everyone else from back then, and I became, y’know...”

“A vampire.” It wasn’t a question. The blond frowned, looking away from Gabriel in what seemed to be shame. “Jesus, Jack… How did this even happen? What-” He stumbled over his words, trying to get it sorted in his head before it spewed out of his mouth.

“It’s a long story.” Jack cut him off before he could go on, glancing over at him before quickly pulling his gaze away. “After I moved away, a lot of stuff happened. My mom passed away, my dad remarried- Angela’s my step-sister, but we look enough alike that it’s hard to tell- and we moved a few more times.” Gabriel’s heart hurt, watching the frown linger on Jack’s lips as he spoke. “Angela was studying to be a nurse, and she met Moira and they started dating, eventually got engaged.”

“Did she know Moira was a vamp?” Gabriel couldn’t help but ask, curiosity getting the better of him.

“She did, but no one else in our family knew. I didn’t know until she turned me to save my life.” Jack gestured to the scars lining his face. “Mugging gone wrong. The three of us were going out to see a movie and some guy with a knife tried grabbing Angie. I got him off of her and tried holding him down so one of them could get an officer on the way, and he slashed up my face and cut me up pretty bad in the struggle before he ran.”

He swallowed hard, shuddering at the memory. “I would’ve died- _should’ve_ died, if I’m being honest. I barely remember hearing Angela crying and begging Moira to do it. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in Moira’s house, freaking the hell out and hungrier than I’ve ever been. After everything had calmed down, and after I’d drank enough bagged blood to get a clear head, Angela explained that I-” Jack’s voice cracked, taking a sharp breath as he rubbed at his eyes. It wasn’t hard to tell that digging through the memories of it all was getting to him. “I wouldn’t have lasted more than half an hour, if even that. Apparently the guy had cut open some major shit, basically gutted me. I would’ve bled out before an ambulance could’ve even gotten me on a gurney, let alone to a hospital.”

Gabriel frowned, the soft, shaky tone in his voice as he described the memory tearing at his heartstrings. He reached over, giving his shoulder a soft squeeze. “I’m sorry you went through that, Jack, I really am.” He held his arms open, wrapping the other in a soft hug when he leaned into the embrace. The hunter blinked in surprise, brow furrowing a bit at the sheer heat radiating off of the vampire’s skin. It was like hugging a furnace. “Jack, you okay? You’re… weirdly warm.”

Jack sniffled, and dear lord, did the sound do horrendous things to Gabriel’s gut. “Yeah, I’m probably starting to burn a bit… Sunlight isn’t exactly my best friend anymore, and it’s already getting pretty bright out, even with the overcast. I’ll probably look like a tomato in about an hour or so once it really kicks in.”

The sudden realization hit Gabriel like a ton of bricks, immediately releasing Jack. “Shit, Jack, I’m sorry, I didn’t think about that-” He scrambled up as he spoke, offering the vampire a hand to help him up. “Let’s get inside before you get any worse.”

Jack couldn’t fight a small smile, accepting the offered hand and pulling himself up. “Thanks. It just feels like a really bad sunburn; not exactly comfortable, but not the worst thing in the world.”

The two of them stepped into the motel room, Gabriel all but freezing in his tracks when he saw Jesse awake and chatting with Angela, both of them pausing in their conversation to look at Jack and him. “Ah, you’re back.” The nervous smile on Angela’s face was hardly enough of a warning as Jesse looked between the two, questions clear in his eyes.

When the elder hunter didn’t say anything, the gunslinger took his chance. “Gabriel, she won’t tell me anything. What happened back there after I got knocked out? Where’s Olivia?”

Gabriel’s stomach dropped, swallowing past the lump in his throat as he crossed the room. “I… Jesse, this is going to be hard to hear.” He sat down next to the cowboy, trying to sort out in his head exactly how the hell he was going to break the news to him. “You got knocked out, and Moira-”

“The Irish gal that knocked me out?”

“Yes, her… She was going to kill you. Olivia got in the way and got hurt pretty bad.” Gabriel’s heart ached at the immediate look of worry on Jesse’s face, struggling to continue. “She… Jesse, Moira tried turning her. Olivia started to freak out, and she said she didn’t want to put us at risk once the bloodlust kicked in.”

Jesse’s jaw went slack for a moment, brow furrowed. “Well, where the hell is she? If she turned, she’s gotta be freaking out. We gotta be there for her, Reyes!”

The sting of tears pricked the corners of Gabriel’s eyes, giving a small shake of his head. “She- Jesse, she said she didn’t want to live as a monster.” He could see the puzzle pieces coming together in the other’s eyes, the realization dawning on him before Gabriel could even get the words out. “She shot herself. She hadn’t turned enough to live through it.”

Jesse shook his head, eyes watering. “No, no you’ve gotta be shitting me. She wouldn’t do that, Gabe, Olivia’s wouldn’t just give up like that!” His tone was panicked as he fought back the tears, fist and jaw clenched. “She ain’t gone, you’re fuckin’ full of it!” The young hunter looked from Gabriel to the others, Jack and Angela having shifter over to the other bed, both silent as the hunters talked.

“I already gave her a hunter’s funeral. She’s gone, Jesse.” Everything Gabriel had been trying to hold in, trying to keep bottled up resurfaced as he watched the young hunter fall apart, not fighting it as Gabriel pulled him into a hug. He didn’t have the heart to tell him that she’d used his gun, sobs already wracking through both of them.

It felt cathartic, finally letting it all out. He’d done all he could to keep it under control, to keep his emotions under lock and key to keep from breaking down entirely, but breaking the news to Jesse had been the thing to finally break him. The death of a hunter wasn’t a surprise by any means, both of them having lost friends and allies to the hectic lifestyle, but it hurt so much more deeply when it was someone they both knew so personally, someone that was part of their ragtag little family.

He had no clue how long they sat there, just letting themselves weep and mourn, but by the time Gabriel tried pulling away, he realized that Jesse had quite literally cried himself back to sleep. The older hunter let out a soft sigh, gently guiding Jesse to lay back down. He wiped the last of the tears from his eyes as he stood, taking a shaky breath as he moved to sit on the other bed next to Jack and Angela.

It was Angela who finally spoke up, breaking the heavy silence lingering in the air. “I’m thinking of going and finding somewhere to get some food. Are you hungry?” she offered a somber smile, Gabriel offering his own in turn. The change in topic was well appreciated.

“Yeah, I could definitely eat.”

“Would you be alright with some takeout? We noticed a Chinese takeout restaurant on our way into town. I can pick something up for Jesse for when he wakes back up.”

Gabriel nodded, fishing her keys out of his pocket, handing them to her when she stood. “That would be amazing, and I’m sure he’d appreciate some food too.” He dug his wallet out, handing her some cash to pitch in for the food.

Angela offered a small smile, standing and walking over to the door. She hesitated, pausing for a moment. “I’ll make sure and get some food for you as well, Jack, but I’ll need to eat first just in case I get too shaky.”

Jack rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly smiling back. “Thanks, Angie.”

It wasn’t until she had left the room and the telltale hum of an engine signaled her departure that Gabriel spoke up. “By ‘food’, I’m guessing she means that she’s gonna let you feed off of her?” His tone was as non-judgemental as he could make it, genuinely curious.

The other man gave a small nod. “Yeah. It’d be a waste for me to eat actual food since it doesn’t do anything to actually keep me alive anymore.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, how does it all work?” Gabriel furrowed his brows, “I mean, I know vampires have to live off of blood, but do you have to eat as often as humans do? And how much blood is needed to tide you over?”

Jack shifted in his seat, obviously surprised by the onslaught of questions. “It depends. If I wasn’t recovering from the fight with Moira and burnt a bit from staying outside, plus, uh… this,” he held up his bandaged arm, the one Gabriel had clawed at while being choked, and the hunter felt a pang of guilt punch him in the stomach, “it wouldn’t take very much, but if I wanted to fully recover _and_ not feel hungry, I’d have to drink quite a bit.” He frowned, shaking his head. “Not that I’m going to. I… I honestly _hate_ having to exist like this. I hate that I have to drink blood. I’m still alive, and I was able to meet you again, which is better than I could’ve ever thought possible, but...” He wrinkled his nose, giving a small laugh. “It doesn’t help that when I was human, just the sight of blood made me nauseous. Now my life depends on drinking it.”

A small snore from the other bed made the two of them jump, turning to look at the young hunter now sprawled out on the bed. Gabriel bit back a snicker, dropping his voice to a whisper. “I should probably put him under the blankets before he rolls himself off the bed.” He stood, quietly creeping over to Jesse’s side. He tugged the blanket out from under him as gently as he could, tucking the blanket around him before heading back over to Jack’s side. “I don’t know about you, but I think that’s as good a sign as any to change the topic to something less uncomfortable. Sorry for the accidental 20Q.”

Jack offered a small smile as Gabriel sat back down next to him, glancing over to where Jesse was curled up on the other bed before turning back to the man next to him. “Call me a sappy old fart, but… do you ever think about back when we were in school together?” He paused, chewing on the inside of his cheek before blurting out what they were both thinking. “I mean… about when _we_ were together?”

Gabriel couldn’t help but smile back, appreciative that Jack kept his tone hushed to try and let the boy sleep. “Honestly? I think about it too much. I always thought that I’d done something to drive you away or-”

“Gabe, I promise that wasn’t it at all.” The vampire frowned, brows furrowed as he reached a hand out to hold Gabriel’s shoulder. “I know it… It looked horrible, and if I’m remembering right, the timing couldn’t have been worse since we’d just… y’know.” Gabriel couldn’t fight down the heat rising in his cheeks; he remembered it all too clearly. The breakup had come only a few days after they’d been each other’s firsts; it was a quiet and rushed quickie in the back of Jack’s car after a date, but it had been the best night of Gabriel’s life.

“I honestly thought I was just that bad of a lay.” Gabriel fought a laugh at the half-hearted glare Jack gave him, both of them knowing that the joke was in poor taste. “Sorry, sorry, terrible joke, but it’s true.”

Jack frowned, dropping his hand down and awkwardly linking it with Gabriel’s. “I just wish it had never happened, me moving I mean, not the-” he waved his free hand about, clearing his throat as his cheeks burned just a bit too brightly, “-you know what. I didn’t want you to have to try and deal with a long-distance thing. It… It didn’t feel right, to try and make you have to stay committed to someone halfway across the states. We were young and dumb, and I didn’t want you to miss out on everything a relationship usually is because I had to move.”

Gabriel was honestly shocked, the revelation easing his guilty conscience more than he could have ever hoped for. So many years were spent dwelling on the thought of Jack just being sick of him to the point of moving, it had eaten away at Gabriel just as much as the hopeful dreams of what could’ve been had helped him pretend he felt whole.

“If I hadn’t had to move,” Jack continued, “I bet we could’ve done all the usual dumb high school stuff.” A smile graced his lips, brushing his thumb along the top of Gabriel’s hand. “Could’ve gone to senior prom together, had matching tuxes, the whole shebang. Would’ve pissed our parents off by staying out too late, making out in the back of that ugly little Chevy I used to have-”

Gabriel cracked a smile. “I remember the Chevy. You used to always give me a lift to school when I’d miss the bus, even when it made you late for first hour too.”

Jack offered a grin. “It was worth it since you’d always call me your hero and give me a kiss.” He chuckled at the fresh wave of redness flooding Gabriel’s cheeks. “But yeah… stay out late, watch the stars, talk about what college we were gonna go to. Everything we were _supposed_ to get to do.”

Gabriel sighed, caving in and leaning against Jack just a bit. “If you hadn’t moved, I’d have probably gone to college and not just jumped into working. Wouldn’t have ended up working at a shitty bar waiting tables and almost get killed by a wraith. ” He grimaced, free hand reaching up to gesture to the scars on his face. “Fucker got a few decent hits in before a couple hunters took him out. That’s how I even got into hunting. They saved me, explained what that thing was and that they spent their lives chasing down things like it before they can kill people, and I wanted in. Been hunting ever since.”

Jack let out a sad laugh, and dear Lord, it tore at Gabriel’s heart. “I really screwed over both of us, didn’t I?” He ducked his head, brows furrowed and eyes avoiding Gabriel.

“Well, I mean…” Gabriel swallowed hard; maybe it was the fact that he’d finally found Jack again, maybe it was the fact that he was still in shock over losing Olivia, but… he wanted to take that frown away. He wanted to make Jack smile and laugh and be _happy_ again, like when they were young. Before the world went to shit for the both of them and fate tore them apart. “What’s stopping us from picking up where we left off? Sure, we’ve both changed, and the whole ‘planning for college and going to prom’ thing is a bit too far gone, but… what’s gonna keep us from giving this another try? Giving _us_ another try?”

The whispered words captured Jack’s attention, the blonde looking back at him with a warming look of hope in his eyes. “Gabriel, do you really think we could make it work?” His tone was barely above a whisper, the sweetest mix of uncertainty and hope Gabriel had ever heard.

“I’m willing to try if you are, Jackie.” Gabriel chewed at the inside of his cheek as the old nickname fell from his lips as naturally as an exorcism, leaning in slow and hesitant, testing the waters as he waited to see if Jack was alright with a kiss. He could feel the heat radiating off of Jack’s face, the slight shakiness of his breath as their lips were just barely brushing.

The sound of the door unlocking and opening was a surprise to them both, foreheads knocking together as they scrambled to pull away from each other like teenagers caught making out in a closet.

Angela blinked in surprise, looking at the two of them in shock as she realized what she had just walked in on. “Did I… did I interrupt something?” A blush was already crawling its way into her cheeks, and the woman carefully set the bags of Chinese takeout she was carrying onto a table near the door.

Before either of them could speak, a low chuckle came from behind them, the supposedly sleeping cowboy clearly awake. “I believe you did, Miss Ziegler. From what I could hear since they _thought_ I was sleepin’, these two old farts were about to make up for all the time they’ve missed out on since they split up.” Gabriel felt the color drain from his face as he turned to look at Jesse, who was now sitting up in bed and grinning right at him. “Don’t gimme that look, jefe, it woulda been rude for me to interrupt the two of you to let y’all know I was awake.”

“Jesse McCree, I swear to _fucking_ God-”

“Anyway, Doc, ya mind escortin’ me outside? I’m feelin’ a mighty need for a smoke right now, and with how nice and dreary it looks out, and the fact that the room is still just a _tad_ bit spinny, I’d be grateful if you came with me.” Jesse nodded his head towards Angela, completely ignoring the if-looks-could-kill glare Gabriel was giving him.

“Oh! Of course, I wouldn’t want you to end up falling because of a dizzy spell.” The grin she was fighting down was obvious, having clearly caught on to Jesse’s plan as the man hopped up, grabbing his jacket while he beelined for the door. “Though you know, smoking is bad for your health, Jesse.”

“Well, I figure in this line of work, having a smoke is the least of my worries.” He paused at the door, turning to cast a grin at both Jack and Gabriel as he gave a tip of his hat. “Catch you two in about... 20, maybe 30 minutes? It’ll _definitely_ be a long smoke break, promise.”

Gabriel couldn’t help but scowl at the door even after it closed, feeling a whole new wave of heat blooming in his cheeks at the whole ordeal. He had half a mind to get up and follow them, maybe plant a boot up the cowboy’s ass.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally we get to sappy smut that was inevitably coming. I mean, after everything, Gabriel deserves a break, right?
> 
> Plus, Tactical's gorgeous art is in this chapter ♥o♥

“So… were you _really_ about to kiss me?” Jack’s soft tone tore away Gabriel’s attention, turning to look at the blond. “Even with… even with me being a _vampire_ , one of the things you hunt, you were still going to kiss me?” The hint of hope in his voice made the hunter’s heart skip a few beats, brows furrowing as Jack avoided his gaze.

He swallowed past the lump in his throat, thinking through the events of the whole mess of a day; he knew he loved Jack, he never _stopped_ loving him. Not a day went by he didn’t think about what could’ve been, what kind of stereotypically domestic life they could’ve carved out with each other. Singing obnoxiously cheesy songs while they worked on dinner, nights curled up in front of a TV, a home to call their own. He’d _literally_ dreamt about it, for fuck’s sake. With Jack here, sitting next to him, back in his life… everything felt okay, or at least the closest to okay it could be considering the whirlwind of emotions he’d gone through.

Actions speak louder than words, he figured, and the way Jack leaned into his hand when he cupped his cheek was all Gabriel needed for encouragement. He leaned in, slowly at first, to press his lips to Jack, waiting for any sign of hesitation or uncertainty from him. When he found none, only smooth, responsive lips and blush-warmed skin, he dared to deepen it.

The first brush of a curious tongue stirred something in him he hadn’t felt in decades, hadn’t felt since the last time he held this exact man in his arms so many years ago. He looped his arms around Jack’s middle, tugging him just a bit closer as he felt the other lean into the embrace. Gabriel didn’t bother trying to hush the soft noise of appreciation that leaked into the heated kiss, the quiet groan lost between the two of them as he relished the comforting feeling of Jack’s mouth meeting his own.

When he felt Jack nibble at his lower lip, his first thought would’ve likely made the devil himself blush in embarrassment, but the sting of pain and coppery taste that followed had him reflexively jerking back. A quick flick of his tongue confirmed that yes, his lip was bleeding, and the look of sheer mortification on Jack’s face triggered a pang of guilt in his gut.

“Oh my God, Gabe, I didn’t mean to- I wasn’t trying to-” Jack stumbled over his words, all but scrambling back as he tried to pull away from Gabriel’s hold.

“Jack, fuck- stop, just-” Gabriel frowned, gently tugging him back against him before he scooted too far, brows furrowed as he cupped his cheek. “Don’t say sorry, okay? It’s fine, I’m fine-”

“But I-”

“ _Jack_.” Gabriel ducked forward, pressing a quick peck of a kiss on his lips. “It’s _fine_ , I promise. I just... wasn’t expecting that. It’s okay, really.”

A frown was cemented to those wonderfully soft lips, and Gabriel couldn’t help but notice how Jack’s eyes kept flickering down to his own bloodied lips. “Gabe, I don’t want to hurt you. I just… It’s been awhile since I fed, and I don’t-” He took a shuddery breath, turning his head to force himself to stop looking. “I don’t want to hurt you, _period_. We should stop and get your lip cleaned up.”

It was Gabriel’s turn to frown, swallowing past the lump in his throat as he thought things over. It should bother him, right? He’s a hunter, Jack’s a vampire. He’s supposed to be weirded out and unsettled at the very least, shouldn’t he? The only thing that was unsettling to him was the fact that he was more than okay with offering himself up, to quite _literally_ bare his throat to the other. Before he could try and rethink, try to work out a more rational train of thought, the words were already coming out. “You could feed off me if you want?”

Jack looked absolutely dumbfounded, just blinking as he stared at Gabriel with a slackened jaw. “You… Gabriel, you can’t be serious.”

“I am.” Gabriel shifted, dropping a hand to loop his finger’s with Jacks. “I mean… you’re hungry, and I doubt you’d drain me dry, so why not? Hell, if anything, it’ll be a learning experience about how vamps feed. So, y’know… educate me, Jackie.” He offered a sheepish grin, embarrassed at his own half-assed excuse. It was horrible, and every ounce of hunter in him told him that it was a bad idea, but he wanted to do this.

The frown returned to Jack’s face, and the blond looked like he was arguing with himself in his head. Gabe lifted their hands, giving a soft kiss to the top of his hand. With a deep breath, Jack shifted, sitting up straight and staring Gabe down with an unearthly intensity. “If you’re sure, and I mean completely and _totally_ sure, then… I’d honestly appreciate it, Gabriel.” He furrowed his brow, giving Gabriel’s hand a soft squeeze. “I don’t want you to have to, but I don’t know if Angela could handle me feeding off of her right now. It hasn’t been that long since she let Moira feed off of her.”

Gabriel grit his teeth at the name, taking a deep breath through his nose. He didn’t miss the apologetic look Jack gave him for mentioning the woman, but the hunter quickly spoke before he could verbalize his apology. “So, where do you think you’re gonna bite? Do I need to pull my shirt off so you don’t ruin my clothes?”

“That’d probably be a good idea. No matter where I bite, there’s probably going to be a mess.” Jack offered an apologetic smile, letting go of their linked hands as Gabriel tugged his shirt over his head. The hunter didn’t miss the way Jack’s breath hitched, blue eyes running along his bare torso.

“You see something you like, Jackie?” Gabriel grinned, unable to resist poking fun at the other. The teasing tone was met with a frown, and he couldn’t help but furrow his brow as Jack tore his eyes away. “What’s wrong?”

“I just…” The pause made the hunter raise a brow in question, and Jack couldn’t help but sheepishly rub the back of his neck. “The bite is probably going to leave a scar, Gabriel, and… well…” he trailed off, giving a small wave of his hand in Gabriel’s general direction. “You already have a lot, and I don’t feel right giving you another.”

He had what could very likely be measured as a metric fuck-ton of scars, to put it bluntly. Everything from knives, bullets, claws, and teeth had left a number of stories cemented into his skin. Gabriel couldn’t help but chuckle, fighting down a small grin; it was honestly touching that Jack was so worried about something so trivial. “Jackie, I told you, it’s fine. I’ve got a lot of scars now, and I’ll probably end up with a lot more before I kick the bucket. At least with this,” he gestured between the two of them, “it’s a new scar for a good reason, and I’m getting to choose to get it.”

The words must have given at least a little comfort, a soft smile returning to Jack’s lips. “If it makes you feel any better, they make you look like an absolute badass. All I've got are scrapes on my knees from when I was a little kid and these.” he gestured to his face, wrinkling his nose a bit. “At least the scars you've got on your face look cool and tough. Mine just looks like I got a surprise visit from Freddy Krueger.”

“Those scars do nothing to keep you from looking good. You're still drop dead gorgeous, Jack.” Gabriel paused for a moment as he realized the irony in what he said, choking back a snort of laughter. “Didn't mean to make a pun, but I'm still proud of it.”

Jack groaned, letting out a sigh that did little to hide the chuckles he was suppressing. “Gabriel Reyes, that was a terrible joke and you know it. I think you should apologize.” The wide grin on his lips pulled another snicker from the hunter, and Gabe offered another signature shrug.

“Nah, don't think I will. Bite me, Twilight.”

“Oh my fucking _god_ , Gabe, that's just cruel.”

Gabriel grinned, fighting down a laugh. “Alright, alright, I’m sorry for even joking that you could ever be a sparkling abomination.”

“ _Thank you_.” Jack sighed, shaking his head as he chuckled. “Want me to go ahead and grab some bandages for afterward, or…?” The sheepish grin was back in full swing, and Gabriel couldn’t resist leaning over and giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

“I’ve got it.” He pushed himself off the bed, crossing the room to look for the first aid kit. His heart ached ever so slightly when he found the kit Angela had been using to patch Jesse up, the little white box having been set down next to Olivia’s laptop.

He tore himself away before his thoughts could take a dark turn, tossing the box onto the bed before sitting back down next to Jack. He took a deep breath, offering a small smile as he tilted his head up. “Alright, ready when you are.”

He could see Jack out of the corner of his eye, and the hesitation in his expression had Gabriel ducking his head back down to look at him directly. “You _sure_ you want to do this? I don’t want you to feel like you have to do it, I’ll be fine if you don’t want to, Gabe.”

Gabriel leaned over, catching his lips in a soft, reassuring kiss. “Jack, I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t okay with it, okay? Just tell me when to grit my teeth and bite the metaphorical pillow.” The joke helped calm Jack enough, the vampire scooting a bit closer to him. After a silent, gentle tug from Gabriel, Jack shifted to rest in his lap, practically straddling the hunter below him.

“I’m not gonna lie, this is going to hurt.” Jack furrowed his brows, leaning in to press a soft, apologetic kiss to Gabriel’s lips before baring his teeth. The hunter’s gut clenched as he watched the fangs descend, taking a slow, deep breath to calm his racing pulse that he _knew_ Jack would be able to hear. The vampire leaned forward, biting down into the flesh of his throat. It hurt, that much was true, but Gabriel was damn proud of how well he kept his reaction hidden. “You still good?” Jack’s voice was muffled against his skin, pulling back ever so slightly. “I can hear your heart pounding.”

Gabriel swallowed hard, taking a shaky breath as he fought to hold still. The initial bite had hurt like all hell, but the pain was slowly mellowing out to something bearable. “I’m fine, Jackie, I promise. Go ahead.”

The second he got the okay, Jack ducked his head back down, latching his mouth over the wound and eagerly drinking the blood down. Gabriel couldn’t help but gasp softly in surprise as Jack gave a deep suck to the wound, hands shaking just a bit as he settled them at the base of Jack’s back. He tried his best to keep his breaths quiet and even, gritting his teeth to fight back any sounds of pain or irritation when the vampire got a bit eager with his feeding. He was more than grateful that Jack had retracted his fangs, the vampire having only needing them to pierce the skin when he first bit down.

As much as he tried to fight it down, he couldn’t keep back a small groan of enjoyment when Jack gave the bite a slow, languid lick, the prickling pain burning into something dancing dangerously similar to enjoyable that headed straight south. Fire filled his cheeks, and he had to fight to not smack himself in the face as he felt Jack freeze on top of him. “Shit, Jack, I didn’t-” His words froze in his throat as he felt a hand at his crotch, gently palming the beginnings of an erection rising up to eagerly press against his jeans. “- _fuck_.”

“Wow, you’re, uh… you’re _really_ okay with this, aren’t you?” Jack’s voice was muffled against his skin, but the breathy tone was still noticeable enough to send another betraying wave of arousal through Gabriel. Jack gave his crotch a small squeeze, pulling back to look at him. “This… this is okay, right? I mean, this is probably overstepping so many boundaries, but-” Gabriel cut him off with a kiss, a quiet, needy noise clawing at the back of his throat. He clearly got the hint, the cautious palming quickly changing gears to eager groping. Jack pulled back just enough to get both his hands between them, practically clawing at Gabriel’s belt and zipper until he got the offending clothing out of the way, and the hunter’s mind practically blanked out the second the warm, eager hand wrapped around him.

“F- _Fuck_ , Jack,” Gabriel’s words came out breathless and panted, rutting up into the hand as Jack ducked his head back down to catch the blood dripping down the scarred chest under him. When a devilish tongue dragged across his nipple, Gabriel cried out to a god he wasn't quite sure he believed in. He wedged his own hand between them, eager to try and return the favor, but found nothing but disappointment when Jack caught his wrist and yanked it away.

“Gabe, you’re already letting me feed off of you. You don’t have to jerk me off too.” Jack trailed soft kisses along his jawline, catching his lips as he swirled his thumb around an already weeping tip. He grinned as he pulled back, lazily kissing his way back down to the bite. “Just… enjoy it, okay? Because if you reach for my dick again I will quite _literally_ have to pin you to the bed.”

Gabriel chuckled through another groan, bringing a hand up to grip at Jack’s hair like a lifeline as he rolled his hips to meet each slow pump. “What makes you think I wouldn’t like that?” The groan that spilled from the vampire’s lips was heavenly, hot and shaky breaths tickling his skin.

“God _damn_ it, Gabriel, I haven’t had sex in a very, _very_ long time, and I’m trying my best to not ruin my jeans with an embarrassing stain just from watching how worked up you are from letting me do this to you.”

A wave of embarrassment flooded him, and Gabriel gently tugged Jack away from the bite to look him in the eye. “Jackie, _you_ were the last person I had sex with back in fucking _high school_ , so I don’t want to hear it.” The look of a sudden realization, then shock, then embarrassment that showed so clearly on Jack’s face let Gabriel know what he was about to say before the vampire even opened his mouth.

“You, uh… you never found someone else either, huh?” The somber grin on Jack’s lips was a perfect combination of beautiful and heartbreaking, and Gabriel couldn’t resist leaning in to give a deep, loving kiss.

“Call me a sappy old fucker, but… no one could replace you, Jack. Nothing could replace what we had for me, what kind of life we could’ve had together.” His words were barely above a whisper, breath hitching when Jack’s stilled hand started moving again.

“Glad the feeling’s mutual then.” Jack grinned against his lips as he gave him another kiss, pulling away from it to latch back onto the wound. His hand never faltered, eagerly pumping at Gabriel as the hunter came more and more undone below him. “Not trying to rush you or anything, but I’m done drinking if you want me to, uh-” he cleared his throat, giving a suggestive waggle of brows. “...suck something _else_?”

Gabriel couldn’t help but snicker, giving a small shake of his head. “Jack Morrison I swear to _god_ that was the cheesiest porno line I’ve ever heard, and it was _beautiful_. I can just imagine the cheesy, pseudo-sax music playing in the background as you ask if the pizza I ordered had extra sausage. If I get a say in what cheesy song it is, I vote for Careless Whisper, but that’s just me.”

Jack bit back a laugh, burying his face in his free hand. “Gabe, do you want me to suck your dick or not?”

He couldn’t fight the grin on his lips even if he wanted to. “I… I _do_ , but I also don’t, if that makes sense?” Gabriel let out a breathless laugh, gritting his teeth as he tried to bite back a groan as Jack gave an encouraging squeeze at the base of his cock. “I’m not gonna last, Jackie, it’s been _awhile_. You wouldn’t even make it down there in time to suck anything at this rate.”

Jack gave a quiet hum, peppering kisses along his shoulder. “Don’t hold back, Gabe. If you’re close, don’t fight it.” The encouraging words, coupled with a teasing nip to his shoulder, were the last push he needed, all but clinging to the man in his lap as the orgasm flooded his senses.

The hunter slumped forward just a bit, panting against Jack’s shoulder. “Fucking _hell_ , that was… that was great, Jack, seriously.” He turned his head to the side, pressing a slew of sloppy kisses along the man’s stubble lined jaw.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’m gonna go wash my hands, then I’ll get you patched up, okay?” The blond couldn’t help but steal one more kiss before slipping out of his lap, making a beeline for the bathroom. “Try not to bleed everywhere before I get back!”

The teasing tone, hollered from the open bathroom door, had Gabriel grinning like an absolute fool. “I’ll do my best to hold my blood in.” He made sure his tone was just as teasing, tucking himself back into his pants and making sure he was decent again.

As promised, Jack grabbed the first aid kit the second he left the bathroom, digging out all the supplies he needed before getting to work at cleaning and dressing the bite wound. The silence between them was broken when the vampire cleared his throat, gnawing at his lip. When Gabriel raised a questioning brow, Jack finally spoke up. “So… what are we, exactly? I mean… You just let me feed off of you while I jerked you off, so that’s gotta mean something, right?” He offered a small smile, scooting back as he finished taping down the last of the little gauze pads.

Gabriel’s heart fluttered, letting out a soft sigh. He moved the first aid kit out of the way, gently dragging Jack to lay down in the bed with him. As stupidly romantic as he felt it would seem, he linked their fingers, cuddling up close to the vampire. “Look, I’m just going to be completely honest here; all cards on the table, fully sappy heartfelt confession, okay?” Earning a nod, Gabriel continued, “I never got over you, Jack, and I don’t think it’d ever be possible for me to love someone as much as I love you. Even now, even after everything that happened today, even with you being a fucking _vampire_ , I just…” Gabriel struggled to find the words, sighing as he bumped his forehead against Jack’s. “You’re the one habit I just can’t kick. I still love you, and I’m more than willing to give us another shot if you are, no ifs, ands, or buts. The ball’s in your court on where this goes, Jackie, but I want you to know that I really, _really_ want to give this a chance.”

The other had listened intently, breath hitching just a bit at the sweet confession. “I want that too, Gabe, I really do.” His words were hardly above a whisper, closing the distance to steal another kiss. Gabriel was happy to reciprocate, chasing after his lips when Jack pulled away too soon for the hunter’s taste. It was a soft, loving moment, and far more than Gabriel had thought he’d ever get to feel again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit of a rushed ending with more copious time skips, but a happy one at least?

The tender moment was interrupted with a rhythmic tap of knuckles against the door, the click of the lock opening following soon after. “I sure as hell hope y’all are decent ‘cause we’re comin’ in.” Jesse’s voice came through the cracked door before it pushed open, the cowboy comically stepping in with a hand over his eyes. “If I see anything that wouldn’t be allowed on daytime television, I’m shoving a boot up both of your asses.” He peeked out from behind his hand, blinking in surprise at the sight of the two cuddled up on the bed. “Aw hell… now I feel like a jerk for assuming y’all were in here screwing each other senseless.”

Angela pushed past him into the room, giving a lighthearted smack to his shoulder. “Jesse, that’s still my brother you’re talking about. I don’t want to think about that, even jokingly.” She paused, brow furrowing as she noticed the bandaging on Gabriel’s neck. “Wait, did you two…”

“I let him feed off of me, yeah.” Gabriel ran a hand over his face, embarrassment creeping up the back of his neck like a spreading wildfire. “I owed him for arguing my case back there and getting him burnt by keeping him outside too long talking, and I didn’t want you to have to lose more blood.”

Jesse let out a low whistle, kicking the door closed as he gave a shake of his head. “Anyone else ready for some food? Other than Jack, of course.”

The vampire rolled his eyes, but Gabriel could see the small grin tugging at his lips. “Thanks, Jesse, I appreciate it.”

Angela huffed a sigh, giving a small chuckle. “I just hope you’re both alright with what I picked.” She grabbed the bags from the table, pulling out the styrofoam containers and setting them on the unoccupied bed.

“I’ll eat just about anything right now, to be honest, ma’am.” Jesse grinned wide, snagging one of the containers and a plastic fork before digging in.

Gabriel’s stomach made a noise of protest at him not grabbing something, and Jack gave him a quizzical look. “The last time I got to cuddle with someone was when Jesse got drunk after a successful hunt when we were hunting ghouls with a mutual friend in Washington a while back, and that’s only because I was the one stuck sharing a bed with him.”

Jesse grumbled around the food in his mouth, swallowing it down and pointing his fork at Gabriel. “You and I both know that Ana would’ve castrated me on the spot if I tried cuddling up to her. It ain’t my fault that that bartender offered free drinks for us saving her.”

Jack bit down a laugh, pressing a quick kiss to Gabriel’s lips. “Get some food, I’ll still be here when you’re done eating.”

As much as he wanted to argue, his stomach was having none of it, and Gabriel reluctantly pushed himself up in the bed. Angela was fighting a grin, already holding out a container of the food for him to grab. He eagerly dug in, letting out a noise of relief as he scarfed down the delicious mix of rice, meat, and vegetables.

There was a comfortable silence in the room, the three of them eagerly chowing down on the takeout, but it came to an end when Jesse awkwardly cleared his throat. “So, Gabe… any plans on if you’re gonna find a new hunting partner now that Olivia’s… y’know…” He swallowed hard, not quite able to get the words out, but the message came through nonetheless.

Gabriel took a deep breath, shaking his head as he picked at the tabs of the container in his hands. “To be honest, I don’t really know, Jesse. I don’t know if I even want to continue hunting after-” he cleared his throat, taking a sharp breath, “-after everything that’s happened today.”

Angela frowned, reaching across the gap between the two beds to rest her hand on Gabriel’s knee. “If you don’t want to give up hunting, I’m sure I speak for Jack as well when I say that we could stick with you and help any way we can.”

Jack gave a nod, scooting closer to the hunter and looping his arms around his midsection. He pressed a kiss to his shoulder, appreciating the soft sigh it earned. “I’m going where you go, Gabe. No ifs, ands, or buts, remember? Besides, I might be useful. I can’t die unless someone lobs off my head, so…”

Gabriel rested his hand on Jack’s, leaning into the welcome embrace. “I appreciate it, I really do, but… if it’s something I have to call in another hunter for, I don’t want you to be at risk.”

Jesse cleared his throat, offering Gabriel a soft smile. “If you want, I can stick around too. Help teach these two how things work with hunting, what kills what, stuff like that.” He’d never admit it, but the young hunter was honestly a bit scared to be alone with his thoughts, and it seemed a lot safer to just stick with Gabriel. He wasn’t an idiot; Olivia had shot herself, and his gun was missing a bullet. He was smart enough to put the pieces together. Horrendously dark thoughts tried their best to creep their way through his mind because it was his gun that killed her, her blood might as well be on his hands. The guilt was clawing at the back of his mind like a caged animal, and it took all he had to keep it at bay. Staying with Gabriel and the others, staying with the last of what family he had… it seemed like a better alternative than drinking his guilt away alone.

Gabriel took a deep breath, a smile eventually finding its way to his lips. “Well, the four of us it is, I guess.”

* * *

The following year had passed in what felt like the blink of an eye for the four of them. Angela and Jack had both proved to be more than capable hunters, the two having even saved both Jesse and Gabriel when they had bitten off more than they could chew with a nasty group of vengeful spirits.

Jesse had come clean about knowing that his gun was what killed Olivia, and they’d all taken some time off of chasing cases to let the cowboy have time to try and heal, even making a trip back to the place it all happened so the young hunter could say his own parting words. After the dust had settled, and he was sure that he was right in the head, he split off to chase a tip he heard about unusual happenings in a forest further north.

As they watched his truck disappear over the horizon, Jack already packing up their gear into the car, Gabriel couldn’t help but turn to Angela with a small grin. “So, you planning on taking off too?” The question had been meant as a joke, but the apprehensive look on the woman’s face had him worried. “Angela…?”

“I’m not going to lie, Gabriel. I’ve thought about trying to go off on my own for awhile, maybe try and get back into the medical field, but… I know Moira will find me. I’m sure that the only reason she hasn’t come after me yet is because I’m still hanging around with you and Jack.”

Gabriel frowned, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “You think she wants revenge?”

She shook her head, wrapping her arms around her middle. “No, nothing like that, just… I doubt Jack’s told you, but vampire’s don’t do flings. They mate for life. I was her mate, and she’s not going to be able to move on from it. It was one of the main things we used to argue about; she was worried I’d find someone else since it wasn’t in my DNA to be eternally bound to her like she was to me.”

The man’s brows shot up, eyes flickering to where Jack was waiting at the car. “He must’ve forgotten to clue me in on that, I guess.” he cleared his throat, turning back to Angela with a soft smile. “I can put together something to help block your scent from her radar, but I’ll have to go a few towns over for supplies. Some saffron, skunk cabbage, and trillium, if I’m remembering right. Shouldn’t be too hard to get. Other than that, I could ask around, see if any other hunters know of a more permanent way to lay low from a vamp that’s got your scent other than the obvious answer of killing them.”

Angela took a shaky breath, rising on her toes to wrap Gabriel in a hug. “I honestly can’t thank you enough, Gabriel. You’ve done so much to help Jack and me both, it’s… I just can’t thank you enough.”

He was a bit taken back by the hug, returning it with a small chuckle. “Hey, you’re the sister of the guy I love; that makes you pretty much family, and I’m not letting my family get hurt again.” The two separated, sharing a comforting smile before heading back to the car.

Gabriel chewed his lips as he drove back to the house- Angela and Jack hadn’t lived there in decades, but both of them were more than eager to suggest it as a makeshift base of operations between long distance hunts- and the hunter couldn’t help but think over just what to do with the new information his boyfriend had somehow not clued him in on. He’d set out for the supply run first thing in the morning, but there was definitely something else he’d have to pick up on the way home.

* * *

“Hey Jackie, you busy?” Gabriel slipped his arms around the blond’s shoulders, pressing a kiss to his neck as the vampire poured over a book of lore, curled up on the couch.

“Not really, just reading up on some things.” Jack smiled, slipping his bookmark in place before closing the book and setting it on the coffee table. “What’s up?”

Gabriel slipped over the back of the couch, plopping down next to him. “So, I didn’t really want to bring it up while Angela was around, but, since she’s taking a nap, I figured now would be as good a time as any.” Jack’s brows shot up, interest clearly piqued, and Gabriel continued. “The other day, after Jesse headed out, her and I talked a bit, and I found out there’s something you never told me for the whole damn year we’ve been back together.”

The vampire’s brows furrowed, confusion clear on his face. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I mean… you never told me that, being a vampire, you mate for life.” The minute the words left his mouth, Jack’s eyes all but bulged, a brilliant red hue already spreading across his cheeks.

He sighed, letting out a small groan as he ducked his head in his hands. “I can’t believe she told you that…”

“Well, is it true?” Gabriel gently tugged at Jack’s wrist, urging him to come out from his makeshift hiding spot. Reluctantly, he obliged, avoiding looking at the other as he spoke.

“I won’t lie, Moira did mention it, but I didn’t think much of it since I never got with anyone after I was turned, until… well, until we got back together.” He finally turned to face him, a soft smile on his lips as he links his hand with Gabriel’s. “And, again, being honest here… I think it’s true, because I-” He laughed, shaking his head as he fought to find the right words. “I can’t see myself with anyone else, Gabe. The thought of being with anyone other than you makes my stomach sick, and the thought of you being with anyone else made him want to-” he grit his teeth, taking a sharp breath. “It makes me want to break something or someone, specifically whoever would try and take you from me. I know, that probably sounds disgustingly possessive, not to mention creepy, but that’s how it feels for me.”

Gabriel chewed at his lip the whole time Jack spoke, taking a deep breath as he tried to sort his own words out in his head. “Jack, that doesn’t sound creepy, don’t worry about it, okay? And even though I’m a human, so the literal ‘mated for life’ thing might not be in my actual DNA, I don’t want anyone but you. That the thought of losing you makes my stomach clench and churn and just- hurt, and the thought of being with someone else just isn’t gonna happen, because I only want you. That’s how it’s been literally since we broke up in high school, and I don’t have a single doubt that it’s gonna stay that way forever.”

The hunter sucked in a sharp breath, letting go of Jack’s hand as he pushed off of the couch. The look on the vampire’s face when he dropped to one knee, fishing a small box from his jacket pocket, was beyond surprised, jaw dropped and blue eyes wide.

“I know it’s not much, and eventually I’ll get something more personal if you want, but…” Gabriel’s voice cracked, and he fought to keep his voice even as he saw tears welling up in Jack’s eyes. “I can’t guarantee to spend a long life with you, especially not in this line of work, but I want to spend every single bit of it with you, Jack. Maybe more, if we can figure something out, but for now all I can offer is the rest of my life and every bit of love I can give.” He gave a sheepish grin, cracking open the box and offering the simple silver band to him.

“Jack Morrison, will you marry me?”

The man laughed, tears already spilling down his cheeks as he nodded. He couldn’t even wait for Gabriel to pull the ring from the box, all but diving off the couch and wrapping his boyfriend- no, his fiance- into his arms. “Did you seriously think there was any chance I’d say no? Of course, Gabe, a thousand times yes.” 


End file.
